They may be different species, but they’re the best of friends.
At this Florida zoo, a group of baby apes, tiger cubs, and a kangaroo have become as close as siblings.
There’s playtime, including rounds of tug of war, and then there are times when they compete for their adopted caretaker’s attention.
At Dade City’s Wild Things in Florida a group of baby tiger cubs, gibbons, and a giraffe (all pictured here with caretaker Kathy Stearns and a goat) have become as close as siblings
The baby BFFs play and fight together like any group of brothers and sisters would. Pictured here on baby cup getting fed as 8-month-old joey Whelan and one-year-old Sarah suck on their big toes
Since the only thing these babies have to fight for is Kathy’s attention – rather than food – it’s not dangerous to let them be playmates when they’re young
That would be Kathy Stearns of Dade City’s Wild Things, who does everything from bottle-feeding the babies to changing their diapers.
‘They can have happy moments,’ she told Barcroft TV. ‘They can also get jealous of each other…they also love, it’s very important that they do love.’
Since the only thing these babies have to fight for is Kathy’s attention – rather than food – it’s not dangerous to let them be playmates when they’re young.
‘That’s why you can raise multiple species together,’ she said. ‘They’re never really taught how to hunt because they have plenty of food.’
And by allowing the babies to interact with each other, Kathy said they are developing the social ski.lls to entertain and enrich themselves when they are transferred to the zoo.
And by allowing the babies to interact with each other, Kathy said they are developing the social ski.lls to entertain and enrich themselves when they are transferred to the zoo
They won’t be able to play with each other when they’re older when the tiger’s playful pounces and jumps will be much more dangerous with an increase in size
But for now, the youngsters are happy in each other’s company. Kathy said gibbon Sarah is especially curious about the newborn cubs
‘In the wild, their whole focus in life is defending territory, hunting, and ki.lling. In captivity it’s totally different,’ Kathy said.
‘In the zoo, they’ll have all these smells and characters, so it’s good for them to check it out.’
They won’t be able to play with each other when they’re older and the tiger’s playful pounces and jumps will be much more dangerous with an increase in size.
Kathy acts as the babies’ adoptive mother. She changes their diapers and bottle-feeds them every day
Kathy said raising animals in captivity is vastly different from the wild, where their whole focus is ‘defending territory, hunting and ki.lling’
‘In the zoo, they’ll have all these smells and characters,’ she said. That’s why Kathy believes it’s a good idea to get these animals together when they’re young, becoming social with different species of all shapes and stripes, and sizes
