The lion, the tiger and the bear: Unlikely friendships in the animal kingdom

Everyone has formed unlikely friendships at some point in their lives. And it seems that animals are no different.

A recent thread, in the forum pages of China's English language newspaper China Daily, compiled heartwarming photos of strange and unusual friendships in the animal kingdom.

Among the animals featured are a hen, Mable, that has taken to roosting on a litter of puppies to keep them warm.

The thread also featured the touching story of Baloo the American Black Bear, Leo the African lion and Shere Khan the Bengal Tiger, who were brought to the care of the Noah's Ark animal sanctuary in Atlanta, Georgia in the US.

The animals had been discovered as underweight, malnourished, and frightened cubs in the basement of a house during a drugs raid, The Telegraph reported.

Since then, they have stayed within the sanctuary in a special purpose-built habitat. The zoo's founder, Jama Hedgecoth was reported in The Telegraph as saying that the three wild animals would actually "eat, sleep and play together".

The creator of the China Daily forum thread commented: "There are some people out there that still believe animals are just dumb beasts. But the unlikely animal friendships here prove that they are capable of feeling love and compassion just like we are."

seanyap@sph.com.sg