We’re all feeling the strain amid the coronavirus outbreak but it’s more important than ever that we do our best to get along and make this situation as bearable as possible.
Setting a wonderful example of this is a family of orangutans and a group of otters who are forming an unlikely friendship under lockdown at a zoo in Belgium.
The orangutans and otters first met when staff at the Pairi Daiza zoo in Domaine du Cambron ran the otters’ river through the orangutans’ enclosure as part of a program to improve the animals’ well being in captivity.
It proved to be just what these animals needed and a magical bond has formed between them.
Spokesman for the zoo Mathieu Goedefroy said they “must be entertained, occupied, challenged and kept busy mentally, emotionally and physically at all times.”
He said it wasn’t only the size of the enclosure that was important but the quality of life for the animals.
‘The very best care each day’
“Our gorillas live together with colobus monkeys, our penguins live with the seals, our kangaroos share an enclosure with pelicans, we have squirrels living with bats, pygmy hippos with pelicans, giraffes with ostriches, Asian elephants with Asian gazelles, zebras with buffalos… and so on,” he added, according to Bored Panda.
Mathieu said the zoo was currently under lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis but “this does not stop us from giving our animals the very best care each day.”
Dad Ujian who is 24, 15-year-old mom Sari, and their son 4-year-old Berani make up the orangutan family at the zoo.
Mathieu said the otters have really enjoyed making friends with the orangutans since they first moved to the zoo in 2017.
‘Very successful experiment’
“In particular, baby Berani and daddy Ujian have developed a very special bond with their neighbors,” Mathieu said.
“It makes life more fun and interesting for both animal species, which makes it a very successful experiment.”
I didn’t think it was possible to put different species together in a zoo but these animals seem really happy.
Please share these uplifting images with your friends and help put a smile on the faces of more people today.