The Pairi Daiza Zoo has otters and orangutans living together in perfect harmony. And man, it's so darn cute!
Otters and orangutans are showing us human folk how to put aside our differences and just get along.
The Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium has shared a very sweet story about a family of Asian small-clawed otters that just happens to live with a group of orangutans at the zoo. The two species get along more than well, and the zoo has shared some photos documenting the connection between the adorable animals.
There are three orangutans in the family; Sara, Ujian, and 3-year-old Berani. They live in an enclosure that has a river running through it, which is where the otters live. The animals interact all the time, and that's exactly what the zoo intended when they decided to put the two species together.
Orangutans can get bored fairly quickly and the otters are constantly keeping them entertained and busy. The otters love playing with their big neighbors and they have created a very close and special bond.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, zoo spokesman Mathiew Goedefroy said the animals enjoy the bond an explained that living with other species is beneficial to both, especially the always working mind of the orangutan.
“The otters really enjoy getting out of the water on the orangutan island to go and play with their big, furry friends," Goedefroy says. “It makes life more fun and interesting for both animal species, which makes it a very successful experiment.”
You can see the Facebook post the Zoo shared with all the pictures of the group of friends. As they say, it's a little bit of happiness to share with the world as we are kept physically distant from each other. If you check out the comments, a zoo visitor shared an adorable video of the friends as well, and other visitors have shared some more awesome photos.
The Zoo also recently shared some pictures of their gorilla pair, Tebogo and Indigo, who are inseparable friends and are seen playing together in the sun. It reminds us that life, despite its challenges, will go on.
We love the story of these buddies and appreciate the cute pictures in our day. How about you? Had you seen anything like the friendship between these two species at the Pairi Daiza Zoo? Share your stories and pictures in the comments.