Hasn’t technology opened up so many areas of interest all around the world?
Every day I receive amazing stories via e-mail from fellow animal lovers, so I decided to share some of these with you.
A category that never ceases to amaze me is the observation of interspecies friendships.
One of my favorites is the story about an orphaned orangutan who arrived at an animal rehabilitation facility so depressed and listless she would not eat despite everyone’s efforts to cheer and encourage her. Then one day, a stray hound wandered into the facility and he and the orangutan became instant friends. The orangutan regained her desire to live and these two have become inseparable. They play together, swim together and eat and sleep together!!
Another fascinating relationship is one between a female elephant named Tarra and a male Labrador named Bella. Stray dogs are common at this haven, but usually the dogs ignore the elephants and vice versa, choosing to mingle with their own kind. Not so with these two! They met and bonded and stay together as much as possible.
Bella became ill at one point and Tarra waited below the window of the room where he was recuperating, pining for her friend. When the two were finally reunited, Tarra caressed Bella with her trunk and trumpeted, stamping her feet.
Bella rolled on the ground, wiggling his whole body in excitement, tongue and tail wagging simultaneously. Tarra even raised one enormous foot and gently rubbed her friend’s tummy!
In Africa, where farmers normally kill cheetahs who come to prey on their livestock during drought season, the introduction of the Anatolian Shepherd, a big Turkish guard dog, has helped keep the cheetahs away. Observations led to a trial uniting baby cheetahs in captivity, very skittish and untrusting by nature, with Anatolian puppies. The calm temperament of these dogs enables the cheetahs to feel safe and thus less stressed with humans who need to work with them. Who’d have thought?
One of the most spectacular instances of all is of a baby Hippo named Owen, sole survivor of his herd following the 2004 tsunami that hit Kenya. When the hippo was rescued and taken to a sanctuary in Mombasa, he immediately approached a 30-year-old Aldabra tortoise named Mzee and crouched down behind him. By morning, the two were grazing together, and they have developed their own language of communication, both making noises that are not recognized by anyone as what these creatures normally sound like. With these noises, body language and touch, the two happily live together, meandering and munching on grass to their hearts content.
I feel so moved every time I read about or watch a video capturing the miraculous behaviors of survival and commitment between some of the most unlikely combinations of animals one could possibly imagine.
All creatures great and small…indeed!