We’ve all seen movies and heard stories about friendships between men and beasts… but have you ever heard of three different kinds of animals living together? And if it turns out that three of the most ferocious animals in the animal kingdom can live together… AND be the best of friends, it’s even more unbelievable…
Balloo the bear, Leo the lion and Sher Khan the tiger are the most unlikely of friends. They all happen to be some of the fiercest and most dangerous animals in the world, and are quite literally on the top of the food chain.
This is not a photo shopped picture, its for real…These three were found in horrible conditions by Noah’s Ark Animal shelter situated in Georgia fifteen years ago, and since then have been together; and this has been their home ever since.
These three natural predators share the same shelter and live together harmoniously, but it’s interesting to think about what these three powerful animals would normally do if they came face to face with each other in the wild! Even though this would never happen, coming from completely different continents, I wonder if they would fight or become friends like these three have!
These three friends were given an acronym by the animal shelter – BLT. BLT stands for the beautiful trio of a bear, lion and tiger. The BLT were rescued as cubs in the year 2001 from the basement of a house in Atlanta, during a police drug raid. A drug dealer had apparently been keeping them as a status symbol.
This photo taken in 2001, shows the pathetic state Leo was in when he was rescued. The wound on his nose was badly infected due to being confined in an extremely small cage.
The animals were in such a bad state that they were all in need of urgent medical care. Balloo needed surgery to regain his health, and all of them were severely malnourished.
Throughout their long journey of recovery, they stuck to each other like glue, and over time their bond has become so strong, they are literally inseparable.
Their togetherness is such a wonderful and unusual sight; they always create incredible photo opportunities…when they’re together they always look like they’re posing for the photographers.
When we think of humanity as a whole, and how divided we have become, it makes us wonder if these animals are trying to encourage us to have a peaceful co-existence.
They seem to be having so much fun playing together, you almost forget that they are such dangerous animals.
The three animals were too badly injured to be rehabilitated back into the wild, so the animals will continue to stay in the sanctuary.
Watch this video of the lovely BLT trio in action:
