From gorillas adopting kittens to hippos taking
care of turtles, here are 11 animals who adopted other animals! 11. Gorilla and Kittens You might be familiar with Koko the Gorilla
because of her famous friendship with actor and comedian Robin Williams. She’s well known for her role in language
research and is the subject of many children’s books. Koko is able to communicate through sign language
using over 1,000 words and can understand around 2,000 spoken words. She was born in 1971 and has been working
with animal psychologist Penny Patterson since she was very young. She surprised everyone when she used her language
skills to ask for something surprising: a kitten! Her caretakers, thinking she wouldn’t know
the difference, gave her a stuffed kitten. Gorillas are incredibly strong animals and
they were worried that Koko would hurt a kitten by accident. However, she did know the difference and signed
the word “sad” when they tried to give her the stuffed animal. Like, you know what I’m saying but you are
ignoring me! They decided to give it a try and Patterson
brought her to a kitten and carefully supervised the interactions. Koko named the kitty “All Ball”. To everyone’s surprise, she showed extreme
care when playing with All Ball. She was gentle, loving, and patient. She also tried to use All Ball as a convenient
scapegoat. When Koko ripped a sink from the wall, she
tried to blame it on the cat! The story about a gorilla asking for a pet
kitten broke the news all over the world. One day, though, All Ball escaped Koko’s
enclosure and was hit by a car. Her caretakers were forced to break the news
and Koko signed “bad”, “cry”, “sad”, and “frown” over and over. Gorillas can’t cry like humans and this
was the only way she could express her grief. Over the years, Koko has had several pet cats
and continues to raise awareness to save gorillas. To learn more and support The Gorilla Foundation,
check out www.koko.org. 10. Cat and a Squirrel Cats who have recently given birth are known
for their strong mothering instinct. That can turn even the most fearsome hunter
into a loving parent. Shortly after giving birth to a litter, Emmy
the cat found a baby squirrel in her owner’s yard, or her yard, depending on how you want
to look at it. Squirrels are usually prey to cats and don’t
stand much of a chance. However, perhaps due to a mix of hormones
and the baby squirrel’s noises of distress, Emmy decided to adopt the squirrel rather
than eat it. Maybe she was just a very nice cat! Emmy’s owner could no longer take care of
her and her children. They were passed on to new owners and the
strange addition was named “Rocky”. Rocky became so integrated into his new family
that he even learned how to purr just like a cat. 9. The Fox and the Hound The Disney version of The Fox and the Hound
is one of the saddest movies I’ve ever seen, I couldn’t even watch it as a kid because
just thinking about it made me start crying. The good news is that there is a real life
version of this story that has a much better ending! A Norwegian photographer named Torgeir Berge
owns a German Shepherd named Tinni. One day, the pair were walking through the
woods near Berge’s home when they found an orphaned baby fox. Berge allowed Tinny to play with the fox,
who Berge named Sniffer. The pair spent the entire day together. When it came time to go, Berge didn’t try
to take the fox with him but left him to fend for itself. The fox was old enough to survive on its own
and Berge didn’t know hot to take care of a wild fox. Which just as a side not, you shouldn’t
take wild animals home with you either... The friendship born on that day remained and
when Berge would take Tinni out for walks, Sniffer the fox would come and they would
spend hours playing together. Berge took beautiful photos of the friendship
in order to raise awareness and denounce the killing of foxes for their fur. 8. Pig and a Lamb Rescued from a factory farm, Edgar Allen Pig
lived on a farm sanctuary in Australia. In fact, he’s the namesake of the sanctuary,
which is called Edgar’s Mission. The owner of Edgar’s Mission taught Edgar
how to walk on a leash so that he could better serve as an ambassador and draw attention
to the inhumane treatment of farm animals. Not many people had seen a pig walking on
a leash in Australia! It wasn’t long after his arrival that Edgar
showed a talent one wouldn’t assign to a pig: he made an excellent foster father. One of his favorite so-called children was
a little lamb named Arnie who was brought to the farm at only one week old. The pair became inseparable and Arnie would
help Edgar welcome all the new orphaned animals to the farm. Unfortunately, Edgar passed away in 2010 but
his legacy continues! 7. Dog and a Kangaroo Kangaroos are very common in Australia. Therefore, seeing one dead on the side of
the road isn’t that strange of a sight, sadly. One day, Leonie Allan, while walking her dog
named Rex, noticed one such casualty on the side of the road and walked around what she
thought was a dead kangaroo. Once they got home, Allan took Rex off the
leash. Right away, Rex took off, only to return later
carrying a small, four-month-old baby kangaroo. He dropped the little joey at Allan’s feet. Turns out, the kangaroo on the roadside had
a baby in the pouch. Rex must have smelled or heard the baby and
returned to retrieve it. Soon after, the pair began playing and cuddling
together. Allen took the joey to a wildlife sanctuary,
where it will be hand-reared and then released into the wild. Once again, dogs to the rescue! 6. Cat and Bunny When a cobra killed the mother of a baby rabbit,
it didn’t promise a happy ending for the little bunny. Luckily, a cat named Snaggle Puss, (yes that’s
her real name) stepped in to fill the gap. Having recently given birth to a kitten of
her own, Snaggle Puss had both milk and nurturing instinct to spare. Snaggle Puss quickly adopted the baby as one
of her own kittens. Definitely a happy ending! The baby bunny was named Bubbles. 5. Cow and Lambs Apparently, it’s not that weird for cows
to adopt lambs. At least, not in New Zealand. In New Zealand, an ewe rejected her twin lambs. The owners of the farm introduced the babies
to a cow named Little Brown, who happily adopted the pair. She feeds them, licks them, and barely lets
them out of her sight. In another case in the same country, a farmer
found a newborn lamb who was also rejected by its mother. The farmer was fully prepared to hand-feed
the newborn. However, before he got a chance, the lamb
walked right up to a cow named Ruth, who also adopted him. According to the farmer, cows usually brush
off lambs or other animals who try to do this. In this case, Ruth was a day away from calving
and had an udder full of milk. The farmer said it was a case of impeccable
timing. Ruth continued to mother the lamb even after
giving birth to her own calf. 4. Chicken and Puppies This sounds almost like a children’s book. A couple named Edward and Rose Tate rescued
a chicken named Mabel and brought her home to their farm. Chickens are known for their roosting but
they usually sit on eggs, not a litter of Rottweiler puppies! When Mabel the chicken hurt her foot, the
Tates brought her inside their home, where their dog Nettle was nursing her new litter. As soon as Nettle finished feeding her pups
and walked away for a break, Mabel hopped into the basket with the puppies and settled
on top of them just as if they were eggs and kept them all snug and warm. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Whenever Nettle would get up to go do her
farm dog duties, Mabel the chicken would step up as babysitter. 3. Hippo and Tortoise The earthquake and tsunami in 2004 was one
of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Not only did many people lose their lives,
but one of the consequences was also that many animals were abandoned, stranded or displaced. One story is about a young hippo who was found
on a coral reef near Kenya. Conservationists rescued the hippo and brought
the orphan to a sanctuary. Unfortunately, the other hippos rejected the
little one, who was named Owen. This wasn’t that unusual. Hippos are very territorial and outside males,
like Owen, are often perceived as threats. Caretakers knew that if Owen stayed with the
hostile hippos, he could be severely injured or killed. This was particularly devastating because,
despite their territorialism, hippos are very social creatures. Owen needed a family. With no other options, they decided to put
him with a 130-year-old tortoise named Mzee of all creatures! Tortoises are normally loners. However, Mzee had no problem sharing his enclosure
with Owen. In fact, they became fast friends and spent
hours snuggling together. They stayed together for awhile until Owen
started getting big. As he grew larger and larger, so did the concern
that he would accidently crush Mzee. Staff of the sanctuary rehoused Owen with
a female hippo named Cleo and gave Mzee a new friend named Toto, who is also a tortoise. 2. Elephant and a Sheep Here’s another odd pairing you would never
imagine. Finding orphaned baby elephants is just one
of the heartbreaking consequences of poaching. In 2008, a South African wildlife reserve
found a baby elephant they named “Themba”, which means “trust and hope”. Themba, like all elephants, was very emotionally
demanding. The staff tried to find a female elephant
to adopt Themba and give him the love and nurturing he needed. However, he was continually rejected by older
female elephants. Conservationists believe that a drought at
the time made the elephants reluctant to take in one more mouth to feed. The reserve, though, was not ready to give
up on Themba. However, the baby soon became depressed and
refused to eat. At a loss as to what to do, they introduced
him to a sheep named Albert. At first, it didn’t look like it was going
to work out. But, gradually, the pair became friends. Themba grew happier and started eating again. All it takes is a good friend! Animals can get extremely lonely too! 1. Lion, Tiger, and Bear – Oh my! At Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust
Grove, Georgia, an extraordinary friendship unfolded between a lion, a tiger, and a bear. Wonderful! Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan
the tiger formed a trio affectionately referred to as The BLT. The sanctuary had rescued the three as cubs
from horrid conditions during a drug bust. The unlikely trio of male predators were rescued
from a drug dealer’s house in Atlanta, GA in 2001. The neglectful owner kept them in dirty and
cramped areas, they were injured and frightened and infected with parasites. Baloo the bear was strapped into a harness
that was never changed as he grew, so it was embedded into his flesh and had to be surgically
removed. Leo had been neutered at too young of an age
and his mane never grew in. During their time of neglect, the three relied
on each other for emotional support and their bond did not change after their rescue. At first, the staff at Noah’s Ark kept them
in separate quarters. This is understandable, as lions, tigers,
and bears do not live together in the wild. Rescuers assumed the three would fight and
injure each other now that they were outside of the stressful situation. However, the three caused problems and were
emotionally distressed until they were reunited. Their friendship continued into adulthood
until 2016, when Leo passed away. Baloo and Shere Khan, though, remain together. Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe for more videos like
these!! See you next time!!
