
Get to know Shere Khan the tiger, Leo the lion, and Baloo the bear.
When these three strange male predators were taken as cubs from a drug dealer’s home in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001, they became the best of friends.
The Huffington Post was informed by Allison Hedgecoth, curator of Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, that the three predators—the Bear, Tiger, And Lion—showed signs of being a bonded trio from the moment they arrived.
She claimed that “they were already seeking each other out for solace and showing affection by cuddling, grooming, and playing with one another.”
Hedgecoth wasn’t surprised by their 15-year friendship, but she was taken aback by their enduring initial bond.
She told the BBC that animals often grow apart as they age and that “before they reach sexual maturity, a lot of times animals will form unique bonds with members of other species.” “It was unexpected how they maintained that family unit and bond well into adulthood.”

According to the sanctuary, the three animals (the Bear, Tiger, And Lion) were discovered by police during a raid in the basement of a drug dealer’s home 15 years ago when they were just a few months old.
“Baloo, Shere Khan, and Leo were hurt, scared, and clinging to one another for comfort when they were first brought to the sanctuary,” Hedgecoth said to HuffPost.
Leo was an African lion with an open wound on his nose that was infected, and he had been kept in a small crate. The harness that the American black bear Baloo was wearing had become so large that it was embedded in his flesh, which had grown all around it. Bengal tiger Shere Khan was noticeably underweight.
When the Georgia Department of Natural Resources brought the three cubs to Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal rescue located in Locust Grove, Georgia, they were all terrified, underweight, and infected with parasites.

The Dodo claims that because of the extreme damage the cubs’ living circumstances had caused, the rescuers chose to keep them at the sanctuary rather than reintroducing them to the wild.
Because of how well they got along, the sanctuary decided to keep all three of them in the same environment.
Since then, Baloo, Leo, and Shere Khan have been unbreakable.
“They’re usually within 100 feet of each other, even though they live in a three-acre enclosure,” Hedgecoth said to Inside Edition. “That’s proof that they’re not just coexisting or cohabiting, they actually do enjoy each other’s company.”


Ensuring that every animal’s needs are satisfied at the same time is the most difficult task for sanctuary employees, according to Hedgecoth, who spoke with HuffPost. This covers their dietary, health, and behavioral needs.
She clarified that Baloo is the group’s leader, most self-assured, and most laid back member. Leo is always conscious of his surroundings, even though he can be aloof at times. Shere Khan is naturally curious and eager to play.
As stated on Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary’s Facebook page, these three predators “live together, sleep together, and even eat together as a family.”
The sanctuary claims that they are frequently seen cuddling together because Shere Khan is so loving.
Related Topic You Might Find Interesting:
- The unique friendship of a bear and a dog
- Estonians save a wolf from the ice by mistaking it for a dog
- The viral stray dog walked up to a pharmacy in Istanbul and showed an injured paw
Even though they are an endangered species, Bengal tigers usually live alone in the wild, but Shere Khan frequently strokes and caresses Baloo and Leo.
Fortunately, they never seem to mind too much.







The 440-pound bear named Wojtek and his World War II battle against the Nazis
Polish troops raised an orphaned bear cub during WWII. He enjoyed drinking beer, and was trained to salute. He became officially enlisted as a member of the forces, and helped carry artillery during battle.

The viral stray dog walked up to a pharmacy in Istanbul and showed an injured paw
Back in 2019, a stray dog walked up to a pharmacy in Istanbul and showed an injured paw to the pharmacist who then treated the wound and gave the dog food and water. The incident was caught on video, which went viral instantly.

How European Rabbits Took over Australia
In 1859, wealthy settler Thomas Austin released 13 wild rabbits on his Australian estate. By 1920, their population grew to 10 billion.

The story of The chicken that lived for 18 months without a head
Mike the Headless Chicken was a rooster whose head was accidentally chopped off but miraculously survived. This is due to most of the brain stem being left intact. He was fed using a special tube that delivered food directly into his esophagus. Despite his lack of a head, he lived for 18 months, gaining worldwide fame before ultimately choking on a kernel of corn during one of his tours, in a Motel in Fruita, Colorado.

9-Year-Old Hero from Yemen Rescues Fox from a 3-4 Floor Deep Well—No Ropes, Just Bravery
In an inspiring act of courage, a 9-year-old boy from Yemen rescued a trapped fox from a deep well—three to four floors underground—without any climbing equipment. Discover the full story of how quick thinking, determination, and sheer bravery saved an innocent life against all odds.

Kipekee, the world's only spotless giraffe, was born at Brights Zoo
The world's only spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in the United States. The giraffe born without spots on July 31 is the only one of her kind on Earth.

The unique friendship of a bear and a dog
A female grey wolf and a male brown bear's remarkable "friendship" was captured by Finnish photographer Lassi Rautiainen over the course of ten days in 2013. Together, they traveled everywhere while hunting and splitting their catch.

Chen Ami, The Bravery pigeon that saved 194 Soldier
During World War 1, a carrier Pigeon name Cher Ami was shot, blinded and had her leg blown off. She is still able to deliver the message and saved lives 194 soldiers.

Are Octopus Intelligent? A Look Inside an Octopus's Brain
Octopuses are extremely intelligent. It is the only invertebrate capable of emotion, empathy, cognitive function, self-awareness, personality, and even interpersonal relationships. Some believe that if humans did not exist, octopi would eventually take our place as the dominant life form on Earth.

Earthquakes: Can Animals Really Predict Them?
In 1975, when officials in the Chinese city of Haicheng were alarmed by odd and anxious behaviors of dogs and other animals. These observations led them to order 90,000 residents to evacuate the city. Only a few hours later a 7.3 magnitude earthquake destroyed nearly 90% of the city’s buildings.

A man travels for hours daily through a drought to provide water for wild animals.
This man travels throughout Kenya bringing thirsty animals thousands of litres of water. Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua regularly travels to the Tsavo, where extreme drought is endangering the lives of elephants, buffalo, zebras, and antelope. He promises to keep giving out water every week until it starts to rain in the hopes that getting the word out will lead to a long-term fix.

A Super Cat With Excessively Large Muscles Goes Viral Due To A Rare Condition
The cat suffers from Myostatin-related muscular hypertrophy, which leads it to grow muscle mass while not desiring to.

Pierre Brassau: The chimpanzee painter who deceived the avant-garde world
Abstract paintings by a previously unknown artist “Pierre Brassau” were exhibited at a gallery in Sweden, earning praise for his “powerful brushstrokes” and the “delicacy of a ballet dancer”. None knew that Pierre Brassau was actually a 4 year old chimp from the local zoo.

Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.

Megamouth Shark And Her Babies Found Dead In The Philippines
Filipino zoologists have recorded a pregnant megamouth shark for the first time ever since the rare aquatic specie was discovered in 1974.

Deer Walks Into Store To Check Their Goods, Comes Back Later With Her Kids
In 2017, a deer entered a Colorado store. An employee fed the deer a peanut bar in an attempt to get it to leave. The deer did leave, but later that day it returned with its entire family.

How Switzerland ended rabies epidemic by air-dropped vaccinated chicken heads
A rabies epidemic struck foxes in Switzerland in the 1960s. The government wanted to vaccinate foxes against rabies, but manual vaccination was difficult and expensive. Instead, they began dropping vaccinated chicken heads across the countryside for the foxes to consume, and the rabies vanished.

The story of Bill Haast, who lived to be 100 despite his extensive snake venom injections
Bill Haast immunized himself by injecting snake venom into his blood for several years. He holds the Guinness World Record for surviving the most lethal snake bites, having been bitten over 172 times. Bill became known as "Snake Man" around the world and lived for over 100 years.

Andy Goose - The Goose With No Feet but wears Nike shoes
Andy was a goose who was born without feet. However, his owner came up with a solution to help him stand and move around by outfitting him with Nike sneakers. This gave Andy the ability to move around like any other goose, but it also made him a source of inspiration for disabled children. Sadly, he was mysteriously murdered in 1991.

A one-eyed Vancouver fish receives a fake eye so that other fish will not bully him
A fish whose eye was removed due to cataract was bullied by other fish at the Vancouver Aquarium. So the vets fitted the fish with a prosthetic eye to fool the other fishes.

Jack the Baboon operated a railroad, earned a living, and never made a mistake
A baboon worked as a signalman for the railroad in the late 1800s. He never made a mistake and worked for the railroad until the day he died.

Blind dog guides by goose, Story of Boxer and Buttons’ friendship
When Baks the blind dog was left blinded after an accident, his friend Buttons became his seeing-eye-goose by hanging on to him with her neck and honking to direct him.

Photos of dogs who were stung by bees yet remained adorable
Flies are sky raisins, aren't bees jalapeno sky raisins as well? Please note: you are a terrible person if you laugh at this gallery, just kidding. Enjoy the photos of dogs who were stung by bees yet remained adorable.

Titanoboa cerrejonensis, fossils of the world’s largest species of snake
In 2009 in a coal mine of Columbia, scientists discovered fossils of the world’s largest species of snake. The species is called “Titanoboa cerrejonensis,“and it is from around 60 million years ago. It would have had measured about 48 feet long and weighed about 2,500 pounds

9 Reasons Crows Are Smarter Than You Think
Crows have the intelligence of a 7-year-old human, making them one of the smartest non-primate animals on the planet. They use tools, have a long-term memory that includes facial recognition, and comprehend analogy.