Best UNUSUAL Animal Interspecies Friendships Compilation

The sight of an exotic cat and a domestic pup might look odd. But in this case, the odds even out. Our story begins with 7-month-old KJ. This adorable little guy was born in captivity as part of a cheetah conservation program. But sadly for him, his mother abandoned him. Unfortunately, cheetahs are very flighty animals. So even in captivity or the wild, you can have moms that abandon litters, reject cubs. Cheetahs are usually born with siblings who become hunting partners. The concept of ride or die is something cheetahs take to heart. There are 18 captive-bred adults living here. The cheetah sustainability program aims to build a population of the big cats to conserve the species. But adult cheetahs rarely accept others into their group, especially outside cubs. Sarah wasted no time searching for KJ's sidekick. We put emails out to animal shelters. And our local animal shelter right here, 15 minutes away from Wildlife Safari, contacted us saying they had a puppy amazingly enough the exact same age as KJ. Meet Rhino. Sarah felt this playful little guy had the makings of the perfect partner for her spotted orphan. But don't dogs have an ongoing beef with cats? Yeah, maybe. But cheetahs might be the special exception. Animal care professionals have been pairing captive cheetahs with companion dogs since the 1980s. Man's best friend has a knack for not only calming us down, but the anxieties of the typically shy cheetah too. After their second set of vaccinations at nine weeks of age, we introduced Rhino to KJ, and it was instantly best friends. Cheetahs are nicknamed the dog of the cat family. They share a lot of personality traits and behavioral traits and can actually mesh very well. If you bring in a dog, you see a much happier, calmer, laid-back cheetah. A year and a half later, the two wouldn't know what to do without each other. But they've had their issues. They do have some personality and communication gaps to overcome just being different species. You think of a dog, a playing behavior, he gets down on his front elbows with his butt wiggling in the air, that means I want to play. In the wild, a cheetah will get in that same position, slap the ground, and that's a very threatened behavior for a cheetah. Yeah, you could see how that'd be tricky, but they've managed to overcome their differences. Still though, their arrangement begs the question, who's top dog? Cheetahs are very skilled hunters, but they are submissive species. The dogs just naturally have a more confident, domineering personality. And Rhino's kind of been in charge of the duo since day one, and that's not going to change. We see more puppy characteristics rub off on KJ than vice versa, as far as him playing in the water or standing up on his hind legs to wrestle with Rhino a little bit. And that's just a behavior that you would never see coming out of a cheetah. Soon enough, KJ will get a room upgrade to a larger enclosure next to other resident cheetahs. Sarah takes him over to test the waters, and his emotional support buddy is right behind him. I'm going to crate these guys up, and then we're going to take them up to our cheetah drive-through. It'll be their first time seeing other cheetahs on common fence lines, and so we're pretty excited to see how that goes. In the wild, were KJ to meet a cheetah who was a complete stranger, he would know to act wary and defensive. Sarah hopes his instincts haven't all gone out the window, because if he gets it wrong, the adults may become anxious or aggressive. We're seeing some of his instinctively natural behaviors come out. Some ground slapping. Some hissing. He's very confident for his age and for his size. A lot of that he gets from Rhino. He's kind of lost some of his cheetah social skills growing up with a puppy. But instinctively they do come out when they are around another cheetah. As he matures, KJ will have a hand in saving his species. And it might not have been possible if this odd friendship hadn't helped save him first. The Fox and the Hound. A classic tale of friendship starring a couple of friends who would otherwise be foes. But here, at the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, unlikely bonds are kind of the norm. And it all begins with Buster, president of their Fox Club fan club. This is Sweep and Scooby in here. Buster knows all the names. But I think he wants to go and see Freddy, don't you? You want to go and see Freddy? Go and see Freddy. Now it's important to note that Buster is a Jack Russell cross. And why does that matter? Well, back in the day, Jack Russells were actually used to flush foxes out of the ground. So bigger hunting dogs could seek and destroy them. Poor little foxes. But for whatever reason, Buster's not about that life. They're normally hunting dogs, but there's no hunting instinct in them at all. He just adores foxes. And lucky for him, a new little one has just arrived. This is Mabel. She was only a month old when she was rescued from a hunting operation. One believed to have been keeping fox cubs for hounds to kill as part of their hunting training. In 2004, hunting foxes with dogs was made illegal in the UK. Sadly, some hunters could care less about the law. They only live a few weeks, and then you all just chuck her in with the dogs. And then that's what happens to them. So Mabel couldn't walk when we came in. What they do, they put her in small cages. They can't walk because there's no need to. Because they're not going to live that long. Foxes are big on tight-knit families, and Mabel really needed someone to help develop. This is where Buster comes in. We introduced Buster Slody to Mabel. Gradually seeing each other from a distance. Walking up to her really slowly, and the bond got unwell. Mabel's now four months old and growing at a rapid pace. But after being caged at such an early age, her legs simply won't develop the way they should. So there's no chance she'll be able to return to the wild. Now you might be thinking, hold on, a stunted fox could make for the coolest pet in the neighbourhood. And you'd be wrong. Like, dead wrong. Foxes are cute as hell, but around humans, they're pretty defensive and untrusting. Geoff's hoping Buster can help bring Mabel along, keeping her legs moving so they grow nice and strong. Hello Buster. Hello Mabel. I want to get Mabel on the lead, so we can take her for walks. Because I want her to have all the exercise she can. I want to walk her with my dogs, so she can be walked everywhere. The first step is going to be, I'm going to keep putting the clip on and on her collar. Just to see how she's going to be. So hopefully, she's going to let me do it. Yeah, Mabel. It's way easier said than done. But Geoff's patience and years of experience play well in these situations. Success. It's just a slow process, that's all it is. But she'll be fine. Although Mabel won't be returning to the wild, with her pal Buster by her side, she'll be safe and healthy at the sanctuary. And by the looks of it, she'll have some fun too. Cats being groomed by monkeys? Well, this sure isn't something you see every day. Unless, you happen to work at the Bambalela Vervet Monkey Rehab Centre in South Africa. I haven't really seen that before, with cats in an enclosure. The cat loves it, because he's being in heaven I guess. He feels like a king there, laying, being groomed. So, how did this arrangement all come to be? Well, these vervet monkeys arrived here because they were either found injured or orphaned, as a result of human conflict. The goal is to get them back to the wild, but for some, this becomes a retirement home. It's a beautiful spot to settle down, but even in captivity, vervet troops have a social hierarchy. There's always some fighting happening. They are very vocal animals. The one screaming, that's just him basically saying back off. Sounds kind of chaotic, but the top dog, er, monkey, restores order. Rambo is the dominant male, so of course he's going to fight anybody off. Whenever anybody does anything he doesn't like, he'll give them either a slap or a nip on the bum. Yeah, this place is pretty wild. And then there's the cats. One day, the three cats that were kittens still, they decided to just join their golden oldies cage, and moved straight in there with the 12 monkeys. As kittens, they climbed into the enclosure through underground drainage holes. Each time they were removed, they snuck back in. It's an odd sight, no doubt. But when you get a load of the perks, it starts to make more sense. They would literally go and rub themselves against the monkey, or the monkey will sit and groom the cat. Free massage and tick removal? Uh, yes please. As for the monkeys, well, it's well documented that stroking cats helps reduce human stress levels. So maybe it has a similar effect on our fellow primates. A lot of people think because monkeys are grooming, it's because they're looking for fleas. He's not just looking for fleas, that's also friendship he's building with the cat. I don't think the monkey sees them as pets. I think they see them literally part as their troop, as part of their family. Well, ain't that the cutest? And the perks don't stop there. See, the cats are around so much, they're considered residents. Which means free food and universal health care. In this family, everyone gets the same treatment, no matter what species you fall under. And like any tight family, the monkeys protect their own. Caretaker Bupa here thinks that one of the cats might have a weepy eye that needs treatment. So he wants to get a closer look. Easier said than done. These cats haven't really been socialized to humans, so their trust factor isn't the same as it is with the monkeys. And Duduz, who's kind of the monkey prince and protector of the felines, isn't having it. Duduz is going to be very protective over the cat. Duduz, he's actually now showing dominance towards Bupa. And he's really showing to Bupa he must back off, otherwise he's going to bite him any second. All right, Duduz. All right, all right, all right. All right. Problem is, when he starts calling, then all the other monkeys come. And I'm a bit scared of them. Yeah, maybe Bupa should try again later. Once he exits, calm is restored. And the kitties, reassured. Duduz is lip-smacking the cat at the moment. So lip-smacking just means a comfort noise. Basically telling him everything is all right. And he doesn't have to worry, nobody's going to hurt him. It's really stunning to know that there's a bond formed between these guys, that a human cannot get between it. And every time a human tries to touch that cat, those monkeys are going to go crazy, protecting that cat because they are part of their family. It's just amazing to see how a relationship can be built between two species.