Bears, tigers, and lions are three normally opposing male predators. However, Leo, the lion, Baloo the bear, and Shere Khan the tiger are a rare trio that experienced trauma together, which formed the bond of a lifelong friendship.
The trio was found in 2001 when a drug dealer’s house got raided by the police in Atlanta, Georgia. When the police searched the basement, they found three frightened and malnourished cubs that were infected with parasites.
Baloo, an American black bear, was wearing a harness that he outgrew so much that it had become embedded into his flesh. Shere Khan, a Bengal tiger, was extremely underweight. Leo, an African lion, was stuffed inside a small crate and suffered an open and infected wound on his face.
The DNR took the three scared animals to their new 250-acre home at Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary (NAAS), a nonprofit animal rescue in Locust Grove, Georgia. Since the cubs’ living conditions were such a damaging and traumatic experience, the rescuers thought it was best to bring the cubs into the sanctuary instead of releasing them back into the wild.
Allison Hedgecoth, the sanctuary’s curator, said:
When they were first brought to the sanctuary, Baloo, Shere Khan, and Leo were injured, frightened, and clinging to one another for comfort.
As they got more comfortable, they cuddled, played together, and groomed each other. This behavior wasn’t unusual to Hedgecoth; however, what surprised her was their enduring friendship. She explained that sometimes animals form bonds with members from another species, but they typically grow apart as they grow older.
Hedgecoth added:
Before they reach sexual maturity, a lot of times, animals will form unique bonds with members of other species. What was surprising is how they kept that bond, that family unit well into adulthood.
Since the trio, known as BLT (bear, lion, tiger), never left each other’s sides, the sanctuary decided to keep them together. Leo, Baloo, and Shere Khan ate food, slept, played, and lived together in the same habitat for 15 years.
Shere Khan is the affectionate and curious one in the group and is often found snuggling up to his brothers. Baloo is the relaxed, dominant, confident, and playful one who loves to tease Leo with gentle bites. Leo can be distant sometimes but is aware of his surroundings.
Hedgecoth explained:
Even though they live in a three-acre enclosure, they’re usually within 100 feet of each other. That’s proof that they’re not just coexisting or cohabiting, they actually do enjoy each other’s company.
In 2016 and 2018, Leo and Shere Khan passed away. Baloo was there for them in their final days and was at both of their burials. Everyone at the sanctuary was heartbroken, but they know they did everything they could to give them a wonderful life. They are also providing Baloo the support he needs and making sure that he knows he’s not alone.
BLT aren’t the only mismatched rescue animals that have come into NAAS’s facility. The sanctuary once took in a young female bear and male tiger that were raised together and kept in the same habitat. However, once the bear and tiger grew to sexual maturity, they didn’t spend time together anymore. The sanctuary then separated the two and put them with their own species.
Leo, Baloo, and Shere Khan, on the other hand, had an extraordinary bond. In the video below, you can see how they snuggle with affection.
