The laws of nature are often unkind to tiny animals that come across larger, fiercer creatures.
When an apex predator discovers defenseless prey in the wild, there's no denying the
hierarchy of the food chain—and the
results are far from pretty.
Clearly, someone forgot to tell this to an 800-pound bear who found a small cat in her
zoo enclosure one morning.
Employees figured the tiny feline was a goner, but her new friend had different plans in
mind…
In 2000, employees at the Berlin Zoo were shocked when an Asiatic bear named Mäuschen
had a fascinating encounter with a
small cat named Muschi.
Normally, the combination would be disastrous, but something was different about these two.
Mäuschen was one of the most popular animals at the Berlin Zoo.
At 800 pounds, her size and strength were well known among staff and visitors alike.
So when employees realized a small cat made her way into the bear's enclosure, they
were afraid she'd be a casualty of the
food chain.
The cat was seen early one morning by one of the employees while they were making sure
Mäuschen had enough food.
They were startled when they saw the cat sitting peacefully on one of the tree branches.
What was going to happen once Mäuschen noticed her, though?
To everyone's surprise, instead of harming the little kitty, Mäuschen was thrilled to
have a new pal!
The zoo workers couldn't believe their eyes.
Mäuschen was instantly smitten with her new tiny friend—whom workers named Muschi—and
the two quickly became inseparable.
In 2007, the Berlin Zoo decided to expand Mäuschen's enclosure.
While this was great news for the bear.
Mäuschen and Muschi needed to be separated while construction was happening.
The zoo didn't have the proper place to keep them both…
Mäuschen and Muschi were visibly upset by the new arrangement.
Zoo workers felt terrible that they had to keep these new pals apart from each other.
Muschi would even sit outside Mäuschen's cage and cry all night.
Finally, after the renovations on Mäuschen's new enclosure were complete, the two animals
were reunited.
After that, workers decided they couldn't keep them apart for that long again!
It was all love between Mäuschen and Muschi after they were reunited.
Visitors enjoyed watching the relationship between the unlikely pair develop.
It wasn't every day that you'd see an enormous bear playing happily with an animal
a fraction of her size!
It was unknown where Muschi came from or why she was so drawn to Mäuschen.
Workers said she appeared at the zoo one day, met Mäuschen, and never left!
Now, their incredible friendship is undeniable…
Mäuschen and Muschi are a reminder that, despite our differences, friendships can bloom
anywhere!
These two unlikely pals found comfort in each other's company, and it's beautiful to
watch.
Funny enough, the odd friendship that formed at the Berlin Zoo between the Muschi and Mäuschen
wasn't the first time a
massive bear befriended a teeny feline.
The same thing happened at the Folsom City Zoo sanctuary in California…
A black cat, whom zoo workers named Little Bear, suddenly appeared one morning in the
zoo's bear enclosure.
Workers were immediately worried for the cat's well-being, but the two species seemed to
actually enjoy each other's
company.
The cat would sneak in every morning and eat the food the zoo workers left out for the
massive bears.
When they realized what she was doing, they started leaving cat food for her as well.
Jill Faust, the senior lead zookeeper at Folsom City Zoo, had never seen anything like it
before in her life.
Although the pair was highly unusual, Jill wanted her workers to foster the relationship
as best they could.
Little Bear took a particular interest in one of the zoo's largest bears: a 550-pound
black bear named Sequoia.
Sequoia had never been aggressive with zoo officials or the other bears, but workers
still had to look out for the cat's
safety.
One of the benefits of having Little Bear around was that she actually increased foot
traffic at the sanctuary.
People came from all over to witness the unusual, but adorable, friendship the two animals formed.
For most of the day, Little Bear simply reclined in the shade provided by the enclosure's
trees, watching as her pal
Sequoia and the other bears went about their business.
It was like she was one of them!
Little Bear loved all the attention she got from visitors.
Being the star of the show was never a problem for her!
She felt as comfortable at the zoo as any other animal would, despite hanging around
creatures so large.
From day one, Little Bear acted as if she belonged right there in the bears' enclosure.
Like Muschi and Mäuschen, this feline-ursine pair was almost too adorable to handle!
These friends have already gotten through so much, there's no doubt their bond will
continue to strengthen as time goes by.
How cute—and unusual—are these bears and their feline friends?
It's incredible to witness just how two completely different creatures can make such
a connection.
They're best friends for life!
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