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Some friendships are unthinkable but wonderful precisely because they are improbable, like that of Bonedigger and Milo, a lion and a dachshund.
The curious friendship between a huge lion and a dachshund
Everywhere you look, you can find curious friendships that are all the more beautiful precisely because they are sometimes unlikely.
There is something touching about the bond between two different animals, regardless of their species and size.
But if there’s love, looks don’t count, right? What do a 158 kg lion and an obviously much smaller dachshund have in common? An inseparable friendship.
The lion’s name is Bonedigger and the German dachshund’s name is Milo. They are so close to each other that the dog even feels comfortable licking the teeth and mouth of the huge lion. The pair live at the GW Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, USA.
Bonedigger and Milo have been inseparable for five years.
The friendship between a lion and a dachshund
A trainer working at the park has had the privilege of witnessing the deep bond between these two unlikely friends. According to him, Milo is like Bonedigger’s personal dentist because of the teeth cleaning he does from time to time.
And the lion plays on his belly, enjoying this show of affection from his little friend.
Impossible to get tired of watching them.
Like many other social mammals, lions can display a wide range of behaviors to communicate their affection.
In resting lion prides, for example, females can be observed cleaning each other’s fur, licking each other’s heads, or cubs playing with each other. Forehead, thigh and neck rubbing, in particular, is considered a sign of greeting, especially at the end of a hunt or if the animals have been separated for a long time.
Lions also have a wide range of facial expressions and postures that they use to “talk” to each other. But they also have an interesting vocal repertoire that includes, for example, variations in intensity, frequency and preset signals.
Among the sounds a lion emits are: roaring, growling, hissing, purring, coughing, barking and even meowing. But it is the roar, of course, that is most important. This is the most characteristic cry of lions: it begins with deep, sustained roars and ends with a series of shorter roars.
The time when they are most often heard is at night. The roars can be heard even 8 km away and are useful for signaling the presence of the same animal. Their sound intensity is one of the highest in the big cat family.
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Only under special conditions can lions establish emotional bonds with other species, including humans. There was a particularly unusual episode that took place in Kenya , in 2005.
A lioness adopted some oryx cubs, raising them and also protecting them from attacks by her own species. A well-known story of the emotional relationship between man and lion, on the other hand, is the one narrated by Joy Adamson in her autobiographical novel Born free .
