Animal Odd Couples

Credit: Courtesy of © Busch Gardens

Above: Kasi (Cheetah) and Mtani (Dog)

Are animals capable of feeling complex emotions? Recent observations of unexpected cross-species relationships in zoos and animal sanctuaries around the world may provide some answers.

Courtesy of © THIRTEEN 

 - Pip (doe) often visits Kate, her surrogate Great Dane mother.

Despite the odds, there are countless stories of the most unlikely cross-species relationships imaginable: a goat guiding a blind horse; a doe who regularly visits her Great Dane surrogate mother; a juvenile gibbon choosing to live with a family of capuchins, and so on. Instincts gone awry? The subject has mystified scientists for years.

Courtesy of © THIRTEEN

Anthony (lion) licks Riley (coyote) after playing.

In "Animal Odd Couples," NATURE investigates why animals form these special bonds. Informed by the observations of caregivers and noted scientists Temple Grandin and Marc Bekoff, the film explores what these relationships suggest about the nature of animal emotions.

Read an article about Animal Odd Couples by Dr. Marc Bekoff.

Source: KPBS