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Odd Couples (Animal Edition)

01.05.2012 · Posted in Pets Articles

Not everything goes as nature intended in the animal kingdom, sometimes quirks happen. That is exactly what these interspecies hook-ups are. Just because one creature is meant to eat another in the hierarchal food chain that keeps order in the jungles and savannahs doesn’t mean things have to be that way in less wild surroundings. For example a snake and hamster can live side-by-side…rnrnGohan and AochanrnGohan is a hamster who was dropped into Aochan the snakes tank by keepers after the snake refused to swallow frozen mice. The Japanese translation of Gohan actually means meal, however the rodent dodged the fate his name suggested, by befriending the snake and the two happily shared living quarters in a zoo on the outskirts of Tokyo. It does beg the question though, what is Aochan actually eating?rnrnBea and WilmarnThese two live harmoniously in Busch Gardens Animal Park. Bea is a young giraffe and Wilma is an ostrich who are the best of pals. Maybe it’s to do with the commonality of both having exceedingly long necks.rnrnManni and CandyrnManni is a ‘wild’ boar that was abandoned in a German forest. Discovered and hand raised he became firm friends with Candy who’s a Jack Russell terrier. Apparently there is nothing they like more than a romp in the garden.rnrnKoko and All BallrnIn the mid-80s Koko the ever-so intelligent, sign language utilising gorilla was known for her devoted affection for a kitten called All Ball. Unfortunately All Ball was killed by a car after escaping the enclosure. But later Koko adopted two more kittens called Lipstick and Smokey. rnrnEssy, Rachka and DDrnRachka and DD are Staffordshire cross dogs, whereas Essy is a Cherry Valley duck. It is not unusual for dogs to become adoptive of other species and in this example the two dogs took the duck who believed she was a canine into their fold. The trio was often seen being taken for a walk in their hometown of Bournemouth. rnrnZachery and Three Orphaned SquirrelsrnThe sad story of three orphaned squirrels didn’t turn out so bad as they became good friends with Zachery the Chihuahua and his litter mate. Zachery’s mother looked after and raised her own two pups and the three squirrels as her own.rnrnBessi and Her CubrnBessi is a German Dachshund and in another example of a dog becoming adoptive she took to caring for a tiger cub. The cub lost its parents and was raised at Stroehen Zoo in Germany with Bessi taking on the matriarchal role.rnrnOwen and a Giant TortoisernOne of the more weird of the odd in this group is the case of Owen, a baby hippo and his replacement ‘mother’ a male giant tortoise. The pairing came about after the Asian tsunami hit the shores of Kenya and resulted in the hippo being separated from its true mother. Once rescued it was looked after in Mobabsa Haller Park where the two became inseparable.

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