When it comes to unlikely friendships, wildlife never stops to amaze. And a giant 450-pound gorilla (大猩猩) sharing a heart-warming moment with a 0.5-pound wild bushbaby (灌丛婴猴) is definitely an unusual sight to be seen.
Over 300 rescued animals live at Ape Action Africa, Cameroon — a sanctuary (鸟兽保护区) for endangered animals like gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys. Bobo, a western lowland gorilla, is among the first residents at the sanctuary. The huge male arrived at the sanctuary when he was only two, after losing his mom due to poaching (偷猎). And back then, Bobo was far from the strong male he's now.
Even though he's such a fearless animal, Bobo is nothing but a gentle giant. And recently, his gentleness even blew away the caretakers at the sanctuary. While on their morning checks, the caretakers could not believe their eyes when they saw Bobo sharing a lovely moment with his newest and most unusual friend —a wild bushbaby.
It's quite amazing to watch the tiny animal interacting in such a friendly manner with its giant neighbor. "The bushbaby showed no fear of Bobo, " said Elissa O'Sullivan, spokesperson for Ape Action Africa. "He moved around Bobo's body and spent his time jumping around in an open grassy area, before choosing to return to Bobo."
Wild bushbabies are normally nocturnal animals, so watching a bushbaby hanging with a group of gorillas in full daylight was even more amazing for the caretakers. "It is very uncommon to see a bushbaby during the day, " a staff member said. "We have never seen a wild animal interacting with a rescued one at the sanctuary."
The other gorillas —three females and three young males, soon became very interested in Bobo's new friend. However, Bobo suddenly became overprotective towards his tiny companion and he kept his group away from it. "Bobo's group-mates were extremely curious, but he kept them all at a distance, making sure that no one disturbed his new friend," another staff member said. "The little bushbaby was happy to play in Bobo's arms."
