We all know that best friends come in all shapes and sizes. But when David Shelldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) saved a baby elephant named Jotto, nobody thought that he would become BFF with an ostrich.
The 1-month-old elephant was rescued after he fell into the well and separated from his herd. The rescuers sent him to a Kenyan elephant orphanage, where he could heal until he was ready to go back to the wild. There he met and got friendly with an ostrich named Pea.
The staff members of the elephant orphanage found Pea and her ostrich brother Pod when they were trying to save a baby elephant. The two ostriches needed help, so they decided to take them back to the shelter along with the baby elephant.
Pod has eventually returned to the wild where he could join other wild ostriches. However, Pea continues to stay at the shelter with the other elephants, feeling completely at home. Pea believes that she is part of the elephant herd.
When Jotto met Pea for the first time, they constantly snuggled together and showed affection for one another. The compassionate ostrich snuggles with the baby elephant to help him heal and make him feel better. And of course, the little elephant is so happy when he cuddles with his feathered friend.
“It is safe to say orphaned ostrich Pea most definitely believes she is part of the elephant herd, and little Jotto is more than happy to enjoy a cuddle with his feathered friend,” DSWT wrote this week. “Beautifully tender moments at the Nairobi Nursery, where these two orphans and many, many others are being allowed to heal and, when they are ready, to return to the wild.”
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Image Credits: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – SWT
H/T: The Dodo