It is well known that friendship between predatory animals and humans is practically impossible, and can end sadly for the latter.

We bring to your attention several stories that prove the opposite.

1. Friendship with a crocodile

20 years ago, a fisherman named Chito discovered a wounded crocodile in the bushes. Chito's heart sank and he decided to help the crocodile. He bundled him into his boat, brought him home, and cared for him while he was sick.

He named the crocodile Rocho. "I stood by Rocho, while he was sick, I slept next to him at night. I just wanted him to feel that someone loved him, that not all people are bad." "I love all animals, especially those that have suffered," says Chito.

Rocho is 5.17 meters (17 feet) long. The day came when Rocho recovered, and the fisherman took him to the lake to set him free. Rocho swam a little and returned home to Chito.

Chito told this story only to show people that there is no need to treat animals cruelly, that even crocodiles can be treated with love and care.

"He's my friend, I don't want to treat him like a slave or use him," Chito says. "I'm happy because I saved him and he's happy with me because he has everything he needs."

2. Friendship with a shark

Professional fisherman from South Australia Arnold Pointer saved a female great white shark that was caught in a fishing net from certain death. Now the fisherman has problems: “It was two years ago, and she doesn’t leave me alone, she follows me everywhere, I swim, and her presence scares all the fish. I don’t know what to do next.”

Arnold says: “As soon as I stop the boat, she swims towards me, turns on her back and exposes her belly and neck for me to stroke, while happily hitting the water with her fins.”

3. Friendship with a polar bear

Trainer Mark Abbot Dumas is perhaps the only person in the world who is allowed to communicate so closely with a polar bear.

He easily swims with her, fights, rolls in the grass, and on command she can squeeze his head between her powerful jaws.

Mark Dumas has worked with animals in various Hollywood films, but one day a director was looking for a polar bear cub for his film about Alaska. It turned out by chance that one of the Swedish zoos had an extra polar bear cub. Mark made every effort to take this cub from the zoo, going through many authorities and proving that he would be able to properly care for and maintain it.

Now this 16-year-old bear's name is Eiji, and she has a good appetite. Surprisingly, Eiji is a very jealous bear by nature: she is jealous of Mark towards other women, showing concern and amusingly purring under her breath.

4. "Lion Whisperer"

Kevin Richardson is known as the "Lion Whisperer". This is the story of the film about how one rare white tiger was lucky not to become a trophy on the wall. This is indeed a rare blessing, considering that more than 1,000 lions are killed legally every year. Kevin Richardson calls himself a "lion ambassador" and hopes the film will help stop the killing of lions, with tourists willing to pay up to $40,000 to kill a big cat.

Every year in South Africa, lions are bred in captivity and then released into an enclosed enclosure where hunters can pursue them. This is not a sport, this is murder.

The film "White Lion" is about a rare white lion who was expelled from his pride as a child because of his color. He almost died of hunger, but then he met an adult lion on his way, who taught him the laws of wild life.

The government supports "hunting" and calls it "continuous utilization of natural resources." In September 2007 alone, 16,394 hunters, more than half of them from the United States, killed more than 46,000 animals in South Africa. Film producer Kevin Richardson first became friends with white lions 12 years ago - he tamed two six-month-old cubs when he himself was 23 years old.

He began spending hours in rehab so he could spend more time with his new friends. Soon, park owner Rodney Fuhr offered him a temporary job, which eventually became permanent.

Today, Richardson cares for 39 lions on an 800-hectare property. The park is an hour and a half drive from Johannesburg, where the film was filmed. Lions are nocturnal animals and sleep most of the day, so filming took two hours in the morning and another two in the afternoon, if, of course, the “stars” allowed. Richardson breaks all the rules for dealing with lions. As soon as he appears, the lions greet him with purrs. Kevin loves to scratch their bellies. And they love to lick his hands with their rough tongue.

His lions attacked him twice, once during filming a lion named Thor "pinned" him to a cage, terrifying the entire set. "Lions are 99% calm and only 1% deadly," says Richardson.

5. Tiger Monastery

Tiger Monastery is a Theravada Buddhist monastery in western Thailand. Founded in 1994 by Abbot Phra Acharn Phusit Kanthitharo as a forest monastery and shelter for wild animals, among which were several tigers. Tigers spend most of their time in cages, but in the summer of 2011 they opened Tiger Island, where tigers no longer live in cages.

An area of ​​1,000 acres has also been acquired, which is currently being cultivated, and which will allow tigers to live almost in a natural environment.

A bull, a ram, a pig, a cat and a rooster decided to live in the forest. It’s good in the forest in the summer, at ease! The bull and ram have plenty of grass, the cat catches mice, the rooster picks berries and pecks at worms, the pig digs roots and acorns under the trees. Only bad things could happen to friends if it rained.
So the summer passed, late autumn came, and it began to get colder in the forest. The bull first of all realized to build a winter hut.

I met a ram in the forest:
- Come on, friend, build a winter hut! I will carry logs and poles from the forest, and you will tear up wood chips.
“Okay,” the ram answers, “I agree.”

We met a bull and a ram pig:
- Let's go, Khavronyushka, build a winter hut with us. We will carry logs, hew poles, tear up wood chips, and you will knead clay, make bricks, and build a stove.
The pig also agreed.
A bull, a ram and a pig saw a cat:

- Hello, Kotofeich! Let's go build a winter hut together! We will carry logs, hew poles, tear up wood chips, knead clay, make bricks, lay a stove, and you will carry moss and caulk the walls.
The cat agreed too.
A bull, a ram, a pig and a cat met a rooster in the forest:
- Hello, Petya! Come with us to build a winter hut! We will carry logs, hew poles, tear up wood chips, knead clay, make bricks, lay a stove, carry moss, caulk the walls, and you will cover the roof.
The rooster agreed too.

The friends chose a drier place in the forest, brought in logs, hewed poles, tore up wood chips, made bricks, brought in moss - and began to cut down the hut.
The hut was cut down, the stove was built, the walls were caulked, and the roof was covered. We prepared supplies and firewood for the winter.

Fierce winter has come, the frost has crackled. Some people are cold in the forest, but friends are warm in the winter hut. A bull and a ram are sleeping on the floor, a pig has climbed underground, a cat is singing songs on the stove, and a rooster is perched on a perch near the ceiling.

These amazing stories are excerpts from Lisa Rogak's book One Big Happy Family, in which she told about 50 cases where strong friendships arose between different species of animals. We have chosen the most touching

Translation for – Svetlana Gogol

These amazing stories are excerpts from Lisa Rogak's book One Big Happy Family, in which she told about 50 cases where strong friendships arose between different species of animals. We have selected the most touching ones:

Labrador and duckling

Dennis the duckling was found by a labrador named Fred and his owner. Dennis had lost his mother, was covered in dirt and generally looked very unwell. Fred immediately began to lick him, took him under his protection, and now the two are practically inseparable.

Squirrel and cat family

The baby squirrel was found on the street by children walking with their mother. It is not known what happened to him, only he was very small and abandoned. Without outside help, he would definitely have died.

The woman brought him home, but the baby refused to eat. And then her husband suggested placing the cub, who was named Chestnut, with the kittens - their cat had just lambed.

Fortunately, Chestnut fits in perfectly with the cat company and now feels like a full member of a large family.

BoxerAndgoat

When this goat was born, her mother abandoned her, and the owner had to feed her from a nipple. But, to everyone’s surprise, paternal feelings awoke in the owner’s boxer, who began to lick the newborn and generally took her under his care and protection. Now these two are inseparable, they even sleep in an embrace.

Spaniel and kids

A spaniel named Jess adopted several orphaned kids at once. And he actually bottle feeds them, this is not a staged photo. Master

Jessa says she taught him to hold a bottle on purpose so that he could take on some of the baby feeding responsibilities. And the spaniel does a great job.

Border collie and Vietnamese pot-bellied pig cubs

In 1997, the piglets ended up in a veterinary clinic because their mother abandoned them. A collie named Mack lived at the clinic. As soon as he saw the piglets, he immediately began to lick them and actually replaced their mother.

OwlAndgosling

This owl had not been able to have offspring for many years and became completely sad. One day, one of the employees of the Bird Breeding Center planted a goose egg on her.

In such a situation, most birds would ignore or break another's egg. But here it turned out differently: the egg was accepted as one’s own and the warmest family relationship then developed with the hatched baby.

German shorthaired pointer and owlet

When the owlet arrived at the Birds of Prey Breeding Center, he was only four weeks old. One day, due to an oversight by the staff, the owlet came face to face with the German shorthaired pointer, Kiera, who belonged to the founder of the Center, Karen Andriunas.

A hunting dog and a bird of prey - such a meeting did not seem to promise anything good. However, to everyone's amazement, the owlet and the dog fell in love at first sight.

Great Dane and fawn

A fawn abandoned by its mother was brought to the Wildlife Rescue Center very small and dying. The baby received the warmest welcome a Great Dane named Rocky, owned by the son of one of the Center’s employees.

Rocky began to care for the fawn as if it were his own. The fawn recovered and the two became best friends.

Shepherd-Doberman cross and badger

In fact, two dogs played an important role in the life of this badger. One found him, small, abandoned, hungry, and took him to his owners. People handed the baby over to the staff of the Wild Animal Rescue Center. Then another dog, named Murray, noticed the badger and also began to take care of him.

Rhodesian Ridgeback/Pointer and Llama

Another happy adoption story. After a mother llama refused to feed her newborn cub, the baby was given to a dog named Rosie, who had recently given birth to her puppies. Rosie turned out to be an extremely caring mother to both her children and her adopted llama.

Boxer and pig

The piglet was found abandoned by its mother and dying about an hour after birth. The owners began to nurse the baby. A boxer named Susie also got involved in this case on her own initiative, taking the piglet under her wing. When the pig grew up, the relationship only became stronger - the friends run and play together all day long.

Chimpanzees and puppies

Many chimpanzees behave indifferently or even aggressively towards smaller animals. Anna is a completely different matter. She lives in one of the small zoos and raises several puppies, whom she treats with surprisingly reverence and tenderness.

ChickenAndpuppiesRottweiler

A chicken named Mabel injured her paw and her owners took her into the house where a Rottweiler lived with her puppies at that time. The hen watched carefully and with great interest as the dog cared for its offspring.

As soon as the last one left, the hen immediately replaced her, taking the puppies “under her wing.” Thus a new happy family was born.

PointerAndbaby kangaroo

This story took place in the Australian state of Victoria. Pointer Rex was walking with his owner when he came across a dead female kangaroo.

The owner took the dog home, but Rex soon escaped and returned to the place where the animal died. It turned out that the dead female had a cub in her pouch. Rex carefully took it out and carried it to the people.

The dog and the kangaroo became inseparable friends - until the baby kangaroo grew up and had to be released into the reserve.

Labrador and pygmy hippopotamus

Labrador Lisha lives at the Wildlife Center in South Africa. When an orphaned pygmy hippopotamus was admitted to the Center, Lisha immediately volunteered to become his “birth mother.”

It must be said that Lisha has real maternal talent: over the 10 years of her life, she raised more than 30 cubs of animals of various breeds.

AkitaAndlion cub

In 1998, at the Glasgow Zoo (Scotland), an unbreakable friendship arose between an Akita dog named Koneko and a lion cub named Sam.

Chihuahua and marmoset

Several marmoset monkeys have appeared in one of the small zoos in Latin America. They did not get along very well with each other, and it was decided to resettle the youngest and weakest of them.

Then this marmoset met a Chihuahua named Sam and recognized him as her “mother.” The dog carried the monkey on its back almost all day long.

When the marmoset grew a little older, it became too heavy for Sam Another dog, a golden retriever, took on this responsibility.

A bull, a ram, a pig, a cat and a rooster decided to live in the forest. It’s good in the forest in the summer, at ease! The bull and ram have plenty of grass, the cat catches mice, the rooster picks berries and pecks at worms, the pig digs roots and acorns under the trees. Only bad things could happen to friends if it rained.

So the summer passed, late autumn came, and it began to get colder in the forest. The bull first of all realized to build a winter hut.

I met a ram in the forest:

Come on, friend, build a winter hut! I will carry logs and poles from the forest, and you will tear up wood chips.
“Okay,” the ram answers, “I agree.”

We met a bull and a ram pig:

Let's go, Khavronyushka, build a winter hut with us. We will carry logs, hew poles, tear up wood chips, and you will knead clay, make bricks, and build a stove.

The pig also agreed.

A bull, a ram and a pig saw a cat:

Hello, Kotofeich! Let's go build a winter hut together! We will carry logs, hew poles, tear up wood chips, knead clay, make bricks, lay a stove, and you will carry moss and caulk the walls.

The cat agreed too.

A bull, a ram, a pig and a cat met a rooster in the forest:

Hello, Petya! Come with us to build a winter hut! We will carry logs, hew poles, tear up wood chips, knead clay, make bricks, lay a stove, carry moss, caulk the walls, and you will cover the roof.

The rooster agreed too.

The friends chose a drier place in the forest, brought in logs, hewed poles, tore up wood chips, made bricks, brought in moss - and began to cut down the hut. The hut was cut down, the stove was built, the walls were caulked, and the roof was covered. We prepared supplies and firewood for the winter.

Fierce winter has come, the frost has crackled. Some people are cold in the forest, but friends are warm in the winter hut. A bull and a ram are sleeping on the floor, a pig has climbed underground, a cat is singing songs on the stove, and a rooster is perched on a perch near the ceiling.

Friends live - they don’t grieve.

And seven hungry wolves wandered through the forest and saw a new winter hut. One, the bravest wolf, says:

Let me go, brothers, and see who lives in this winter hut. If I don't come back soon, come to the rescue.

A wolf entered the winter hut and fell straight on the ram.

The ram has nowhere to go. The ram hid in a corner and bleated in a terrible voice:

Ba-uh!.. Ba-uh!.. Ba-uh!..

The rooster saw the wolf, flew off his perch, and flapped his wings:

Ku-ka-re-ku-u!

The cat jumped off the stove, snorted and meowed:

Me-oo-oo!.. Me-oo-oo! Me-oo-oo!..

A bull came running, horns of a wolf in the side:

Oooh!.. Oooh!.. Ooooh!..

And the pig heard that there was a battle going on upstairs, crawled out of hiding and shouted:

Oink!... Oink!.. Oink!.. Who to eat here?

The wolf had a hard time; he barely escaped the trouble alive.

He runs and shouts to his comrades:

Oh brothers, go away! Oh, brothers, run!

The wolves heard it and ran away.

They ran for an hour, ran for two, sat down to rest, and their red tongues hung out.

And the old wolf caught his breath and said to them:

I, my brothers, entered the winter hut, and I saw a scary and shaggy man staring at me. There was clapping at the top and snorting at the bottom! A horned, bearded man jumped out of the corner - horns hit me in the side! And from below they shout: “Who should we eat here?” I didn’t see the light - and there... Oh, let’s run, brothers!..

The wolves rose, their tails like a pipe - only a pillar of snow.

Friends can be so different from each other sometimes! This statement is also true for animals. You can see this by meeting friends from the world of fauna presented in our selection.

Warning: be prepared to melt with emotion.

1. Bubbles the Elephant and Bella the Black Labrador

Bubbles the African elephant and Bella the dog are fast friends at Myrtle Beach Safari Park. When Bubbles was very young, his parents were killed by poachers. Fortunately, the orphan elephant was found and rescued by kind people who sheltered him in the park. Bubbles and Bella love to frolic together on the grass and in the water. The elephant throws a ball with its trunk, and the dog, trying to catch it, jumps off its friend's head.

2. Bea the giraffe and Wilma the ostrich

These two bring a magical atmosphere of devoted friendship to Florida's Busch Garden Zoo, which is located in Tampa Bay. Bea and Wilma, as park employees say, never get tired of each other's company. Living on a 26-hectare site among a variety of giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, African elephants and birds, these giraffe and ostrich unexpectedly found the most loyal companions in each other, while most animals, as a rule, prefer the company of their own kind.

3. Tinny the dog and Sniffer the fox

Tinny lives with her owner, photographer Thorgeir Berge, in the Norwegian Forest. One day, while walking together along the forest paths, they met a wild fox, who was later named Sniffer. Thousands of years of selection of species, differences in living conditions and habits did not become an obstacle to communication between two inquisitive animals - the fox and the dog became best friends.

Now Berge is constantly accompanied by these two unusual friends. He takes pleasure in photographing their joint games and fun in the forest. According to Berge, watching these two frolic shows that the wild animals that many of us fear may be much more similar to simple, straightforward pets than we thought. Impressed by the bestial friendship, Thorgeir now sets out to begin work against the Norwegian fur industry.

4. Torquay the Greyhound and Shrek the Owl

Six-month-old Torquay took custody of a tiny short-eared owl chick named Shrek when it was rescued by falconers from its own mother. The friends live in the house of John Pickton, one of the hunters, who from the very first day gradually introduced them to each other, starting with feeding the animals in the same room, and then bringing the owlet closer and closer to the dog. Now the two young creatures inseparably spend almost all their time together, visibly enjoying each other's company. Just look how cozy they are sitting next to each other on the sofa!

5. Labrador Fred and Duckling Dennis

Baby Dennis was generously adopted at just a week old by a four-year-old Labrador named Fred when his mother duck died in the teeth of a fox. The friendly dog ​​immediately began to perform parental duties, beginning to diligently lick the mud-stained duckling. Since then, the friends have played, slept together and even enjoyed swimming in the local pond.

6. Orangutan Suriya and hunting dog Roscoe

Having lost both his parents, the monkey Suriya was so depressed that he stopped eating and responding to doctors' efforts to help his condition. The veterinarians were strongly concerned, fearing that she might die of melancholy.

Everything changed the day Suriya met the dog Roscoe, who was just as orphaned as she was. Two lonely souls found each other and became best friends. Now the dog and the orangutan live at the Institute of Rare and Endangered Species, which is located in Myrtle Beach (the same place where the already familiar Bubbles and Bella live).

7. Wild fox and cat

On the shores of Lake Van in Turkey, fishermen discovered unusual friends having fun playing. Not much is known about this cute duo, but you can admire photos and videos of the cat and the fox playing in this article.

8. Little pig Manny and terrier Candy

A hungry wild pig, abandoned by its mother, wandered around the countryside of Ehringhausen (Germany), where it was found by the dog Candy and her owners, the Dalhaus family. People picked up a little pig and now Manni, as she was named, has become the best friend of the domestic terrier. This playful couple practically never leaves each other, spending their days playing hide and seek and tag. Manni even learned to make barking sounds while interacting with Candy.

9. Deer and rabbit

We don't know much about the history of these buddies, but people have often seen a deer and a rabbit playing in the woods, reminiscent of something out of a Disney movie. You can see some more photos of this incredible friendship here.

10. Chimpanzee Anyana and her white tiger cubs

During a hurricane in California, two white tiger cubs were born on the territory of the Institute of Rare and Endangered Species of Animals. Due to the fact that many rooms of the shelter where the cubs were located were flooded, they had to be urgently evacuated. The cubs were placed in the care of animal education specialist China York, but her chimpanzee, Anyana, stepped in to help care for the cubs and quickly took over the teacher's initiative. At one time, the monkey herself was one of China's little charges, and now acts as her reliable assistant, helping the hundreds of animals in the shelter.