1. Chimpanzee adopts tiger cub
When this little tiger cub was separated from his mother, the zookeepers allowed a chimpanzee to take care of him, and it's all going well so far.
2. The sheep and the Springer spaniel
When working on the sheep farm, Jess the Springer spaniel takes her duties very seriously. Apart from guarding the animals and carrying tools and buckets of water, she also helps by nursing orphaned lambs, even going as far as holding up bottles of milk while they drink.
3. Just a dog and his tiny ducklings
When Yogi the dog's owners bought a couple of ducklings from a local garden center, he was instantly fascinated by their purchase, and immediately began to befriend them. Ever since, the two ducklings, 'Pac and Biggie, have been following Yogi around, as if he was their natural mother.
4. The elephant who adopted a puppy
Nobody has ever managed to explain just how this relationship came to be, but this elephant is known to constantly supply her canine companion with maternal affection, and believes that it's her duty to protect him from danger.
5. Orphaned hippo makes friends with lonely tortoise
After a deadly tsunami struck the Kenyan coast, Owen the hippo ended up separated from his family. Luckily, he ran into Mzee, a giant century-old tortoise, who was more than happy for the company. Owen and Mzee can often be found feeding together, patrolling the area, or simply relaxing in a pond.
6. The rabbit that adopted piglets
Most animals can instinctively detect when others are desperate for help. This female rabbit was more than happy to assist these two orphaned piglets, making them the cutest family on the farm.
7. The pig who befriended a monkey
When this wild pig wandered in off the streets and befriended a family's pet monkey, they just knew that they had to adopt it!
8. The dog and the baby kangaroo
When this 4-month-old kangaroo's mother was struck and killed by a car, he managed to survive by hiding in her pouch. A man walking his dog rescued the cute little guy, who became his dog's best buddy in the days before he was taken to a wildlife sanctuary.
9. The heartbroken tigress and her new babies
When a poor tigress's cubs tragically passed away in a California zoo, they let her adopt a litter of piglets to see if they could cheer her up. This cunning plan worked like a charm, and she treats all of the piglets exactly as she treated her own babies.
10. The lioness and the antelope calf
In what has been described as an 'unprecedented event,' this wild lioness chose not to attack a baby antelope, her natural prey, and instead chose to treat it as one of her own cubs. Conservationists believe that she had probably just suffered a traumatic loss of a cub, and so her maternal instincts overrode her predatory nature.
