There have been loads of unlikely animal pairings over the years. In Australia, the latest bonding moment has been unveiled at the Australian Reptile Park with a wombat and koala.
Elsa the koala and Hope the wombat have become unlikely mates during the coronavirus pandemic after the park was forced to shut. Staff say that even as the park has reopened to the public, it seems these two animals have become inseparable.
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A zoo or animal facility wouldn't normally have two startlingly different animals in one enclosure, but they might have to make exceptions for this pair.
Curator Hayley Shute said: "Hope is a little ray of sunshine and we just knew the two of them would enjoy getting to know each other.
"It makes for one cute video that's for sure! It's a very special friendship these two have formed and I can't wait to see it continue to blossom.
"Elsa and Hope are great ambassadors for Australian wildlife and our wildlife needs all the help it can get. Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate on the planet.
"Our iconic koala is sadly experiencing a large decline in numbers due, in part, to the tragic bush fires we had earlier this year and they're on the trajectory to be extinct in the wild by 2050."
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The two reportedly struck up their friendship when Hope was allowed into the koala enclosure to feast on the new leaves left by the supervisors.
The two animals locked eyes and realised that this could be the start of a very beautiful friendship.
After noticing how attached the two seemed, park staff let them continue hanging out and now they're the best friends that anyone could have. Let's hope they get to hang out more now that isolation is ending.
Featured Image Credit: The Australian Reptile ParkTopics: News, Animals, Australia