Bear, lion and tiger become best friends at US zoo (cute video)
A bear, lion and tiger have become an unlikely trio of best friends at a zoo in America.
Leo the lion, Baloo the bear, and Shere Khan the tiger were all taken together as cubs to the Noah's Ark Animal Rescue Centre in Georgia when they were found by police officers during a raid at an Atlanta home.
They have lived together in the same enclosure ever since, and are the only bear, lion and tiger to do so in the world.
According to Yahoo News, the only time the trio - nicknamed the 'BLT' by zookeepers - have been separated was when Baloo had an operation. And her Big Cat pals reportedly paced nervously awaiting her return.
Diane Smith, assistant director of Noah's Ark, told the Daily Mail: "We could have separated them, but since they came as a kind of family, the zoo decided to keep them together.
"To our knowledge, this is the only place where you'll find this combination of animals together."
And the public can now view the unusual bond for themselves, as BLT have been moved to a brand new enclosure, costing £15,000.
Diane says Baloo the American black bear, and Shere Khan the Bengal tiger are particularly close as Leo the lion likes to sleep all day.
She added that "they are totally oblivious to the fact that in any other circumstance they would not be friends", and that they "eat, sleep and play together".
The Noah's Ark website describes how the three young cubs were confiscated from a drug dealer's basement when they were young. None of them were in good health, underweight and malnourished, but Baloo was in the worst condition of all, with a severely ingrown harness digging into his flesh because it was never loosened as he grew in size.
The zoo said: "The harness was so ingrown that his flesh had begun to grow over it, and surgical intervention was required to remove the harness and clean out his deep, infected wounds.
"During Baloo's surgery was the only time the three brothers have ever been separated from one another, and Shere Khan and Leo became extremely agitated because of it, pacing and vocalising for the lost member of their family of three to return.
"After his surgery, Baloo was returned to his brothers and the three have been together ever since, with hardly a quarrel between them.
"They eat, sleep and play together and even seek out grooming from one another, head rubbing and licking one another. It seems that their terrifying early months in life bonded the three together and they are truly inseparable."
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