'They teach you how to love': Meet the lion, tiger and bear who are besties
في ما يبدو وكأنه فيلم ديزني يأتي الى الحياة، أسد، نمر ودب وأصبحت كل أفضل الأصدقاء في ملاذ للحيوانات في جورجيا
Scott Stump
TODAY contributor
In what seems like a Disney movie come to life, a lion, a
tiger and a bear have all become best friends at an animal sanctuary in
Georgia.
Baloo the brown bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan
the tiger, known collectively as BLT, have formed an unlikely friendship
across the animal kingdom at the 250-acre Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary
in Locust Grove, Ga.
Video: The
three animals, found as cubs in an Atlanta drug dealer’s basement, have
been best friends for 13 years. They share a cage at Noah’s Ark, a
Georgia animal sanctuary. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports.
"It's
really amazing that the BLT all interact like they do,'' Noah's Ark
animal husbandry manager Allison Hedgecoth said on TODAY Friday. "As far
as we know, this is the only BLT in the world."
TODAY
The trio is believed to be the only bear, lion and tiger that live
together in the world, according to the manager of animal husbandry at
George's Noah's Ark non-profit.
Under normal
circumstances, the animals would have never met because the bear is
native to North America, the lion to Africa and the tiger to Asia.
However, 13 years ago, when the three animals were still cubs, they were
found in, of all places, an Atlanta drug dealer's apartment. The exotic
pets were seen as a status symbol. They were all in poor condition, but
had formed a special bond under duress.
"They actually seek out each others affections,'' Hedgecoth said. "They nuzzle each other. They play together."
TODAY
The animals, native to three different continents, were found in poor
condition in the apartment of an Atlanta drug dealer 13 years ago and
formed an unlikely bond.
TODAY
The "BLT," as they are known, live on a three-acre habitat but spend
most of their time within only a few feet of one another.
TODAY
Animals that would have been mortal enemies in the wild, the "BLT" can
often be seen nuzzling and showing affection toward one another.
TODAY
The founder of the Noah's Ark Animal Rehabilitation Center in Georgia
believes the "BLT" can teach humans a lesson about friendship.
The
three animals live on a habitat of three acres at the non-profit Noah's
Ark sanctuary, so they could easily separate themselves, but they
choose to spend their time close to one another. The founder of Noah's
Ark, Jama Hedgecoth, believes their unlikely friendship could teach
their human counterparts a lesson as they wow visitors with their bond.
"I
think people, they really want to be like that,'' Jama Hedgecoth told
TODAY. "They teach you how to get along. They're definitely not the same
color. They're not the same species. They're not even from the same
country, and they love each other. They're brothers, and they teach you
how to love."
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