Real-Life ‘Fox And The Hound’ Oddest Animal Friendships
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 The Fox and the Hound, a classic tale of friendship
00:03 starring a couple of friends who would otherwise be foes.
00:06 But here, at the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary
00:11 unlikely bonds are kind of the norm.
00:13 And it all begins with Buster,
00:17 president of their Fox Club fan club.
00:19 This is Sweetford Scooby in here.
00:22 Buster knows all the names,
00:24 but I think he wants to go and see Freddy, don't ya?
00:27 You wanna go and see Freddy?
00:28 Go and see Freddy.
00:30 Now it's important to note that Buster's a Jack Russell cross.
00:34 Why does that matter?
00:35 Well, back in the day, Jack Russells were actually used
00:38 to flush foxes out of the ground,
00:40 so bigger hunting dogs could seek and destroy them.
00:43 Poor little foxes.
00:44 But for whatever reason, Buster's not about that life.
00:49 They're normally hunting dogs,
00:51 but there's no hunting instinct in him at all.
00:53 He just adores foxes.
00:57 And lucky for him, a new little one has just arrived.
01:00 This is Mabel.
01:02 She was only a month old
01:04 when she was rescued from a hunting operation,
01:06 one believed to have been keeping fox cubs
01:08 for hounds to kill as part of their hunting training.
01:11 In 2004, hunting foxes with dogs was made illegal in the UK.
01:16 Sadly, some hunters could care less about the law.
01:19 - They only live a few weeks,
01:22 and then you all just chuck her in with the dogs.
01:25 Yeah, then that's what happens to 'em.
01:27 So Mabel couldn't walk when we came in.
01:30 What they do, they put her in small cages.
01:32 They can't walk 'cause they no need to,
01:35 'cause they're not gonna live that long.
01:37 - Foxes are big on tight-knit families,
01:40 and Mabel really needed someone to help develop.
01:43 This is where Buster comes in.
01:45 - We introduced Buster slowly to Mabel.
01:47 Gradually seeing each other from a distance,
01:52 walking up to her really slowly,
01:55 and they finally got on well.
01:57 - Mabel's now four months old and growing at a rapid pace,
02:01 but after being caged at such an early age,
02:04 her legs simply won't develop the way they should,
02:07 so there's no chance she'll be able to return to the wild.
02:10 Now you might be thinking, hold on,
02:14 a stunted fox could make for the coolest pet
02:17 in the neighborhood, and you'd be wrong, like dead wrong.
02:21 Foxes are cute as hell, but around humans,
02:25 they're pretty defensive and untrusting.
02:27 Jeff's hoping Buster can help bring Mabel along,
02:31 keeping her legs moving so they grow nice and strong.
02:34 - Hello, Buster.
02:37 Hello, Mabel.
02:39 I wanna get Mabel on the lead,
02:40 so we can take her for walks,
02:43 'cause I want her to have all the exercise she can.
02:45 I want to walk her with my dogs,
02:47 so she can be walked everywhere.
02:49 The first step is gonna be,
02:53 I'm gonna keep putting the clip on and on the collar,
02:56 just to see how she's gonna be.
02:57 So hopefully,
02:59 she's gonna let me do it.
03:04 Yeah, Mabel.
03:05 - It's way easier said than done,
03:09 but Jeff's patience and years of experience
03:11 play well in these situations.
03:13 Success.
03:15 - It's just a slow process, that's all it is,
03:18 but she'll be fine.
03:21 Although Mabel won't be returning to the wild,
03:24 with her pal Buster by her side,
03:26 she'll be safe and healthy at the sanctuary.
03:29 And by the looks of it, she'll have some fun, too.
03:33 A hyena pup, a couple of lion cubs, and a meerkat.
03:40 Friends?
03:42 Okay, real talk.
03:44 Hyenas and lions aren't exactly known for getting along,
03:47 and under normal circumstances,
03:49 a meerkat would merely be a snack for these guys.
03:53 No, this isn't a Disney film.
03:55 It's Lobe's Predator Park in South Africa.
03:58 True story.
03:59 These guys met when they were just babies.
04:01 Kala arrived as an orphan
04:04 after her mom was caught in a farmer's trap.
04:06 Zafari and Suzie were rejected by their mother at birth.
04:10 And little Pakal here was found
04:13 wandering alone without his family.
04:15 - He was very cold.
04:18 He was almost on the edge of dying,
04:20 and I pulled him through.
04:23 - He might not be an apex predator like his pals,
04:25 but you'd have to tell him that.
04:27 - I think Pakal thinks he's in charge.
04:31 He's rough with them, he likes to play,
04:34 but if they get rough with each other,
04:36 like the lion cubs and the hyena,
04:38 then he will come in between.
04:41 - After a couple sad twists of fate,
04:43 rather than hunt each other,
04:45 these would-be foes would sooner share a plate.
04:48 At least when Pakal has his way.
04:50 - When he's hungry, he will turn around
04:52 and push his butt towards them.
04:55 So he's pushing them out of the way so he can eat first.
04:58 And they must be submissive.
05:00 Yeah, he's the dominant one.
05:04 - Pakal's become somewhat of an intake coordinator
05:08 for the sanctuary.
05:09 When Kala first arrived here alone,
05:12 it was Pakal who made her feel at home.
05:15 - Pakal.
05:15 Pakal.
05:17 Come on, Pakal.
05:18 Pakal and Kala like to play with each other.
05:24 Pakal likes to jump on top of Kala's on his neck
05:27 or he will clamp down on him and think he can hold him back.
05:31 - And when activity time rolls around,
05:33 you can really see the Napoleon complex come out.
05:36 To stimulate curiosity, the cubs and pup
05:39 are given large ostrich eggs.
05:41 And Pakal, the much smaller chicken egg.
05:44 But of course, the little one wants
05:46 what the bigger kids have.
05:48 And what Pakal wants, Pakal takes.
05:50 Ah, it won't last long.
05:54 The orphans are growing fast
05:56 and soon their predatory instincts may kick in.
05:59 Pakal's managed to avoid injuries so far,
06:03 but Kala's starting to try out her strong jaws,
06:06 which are designed to crush bones.
06:08 Once she's full grown,
06:09 her bite will be five times stronger than ours.
06:13 So just imagine what it could do to a meerkat,
06:15 even by accident.
06:16 Meanwhile, the twins will soon be 200 times
06:20 bigger than Pakal,
06:21 which means their wrestling days are numbered.
06:24 In a few weeks, the natural born predators
06:26 will be relocated to larger enclosures
06:29 fit for larger carnivores.
06:31 - Kala and the lions and Pakal,
06:34 they all stay together now.
06:36 They are friends.
06:37 But when they're a bit bigger,
06:40 size is going to be a big issue.
06:43 They need to go back with their own species.
06:47 So that's difficult for them to be together forever.
06:50 - Okay, so they're not destined
06:53 for your typical run of the mill Hollywood ending.
06:56 But come on,
06:57 even Disney couldn't script a friendship quite like this.
07:00 A cat and a dog and a bird.
07:12 Wait, isn't this the setup for a cartoon?
07:15 Yeah, maybe, but this ain't no Looney Tunes rivalry.
07:19 This, this is way better.
07:21 Let's get this besties origin story started
07:25 with the one who got here first, Ponzu.
07:27 - Ponzu is quite laid back cat
07:31 and he can be lazy.
07:34 He's quite picky.
07:37 I need to make sure that every day I give him food,
07:40 the flavor always different.
07:42 - For a while, Ponzu was happy to be king of New York.
07:47 But when Channan found a bright orange bird
07:49 on the roof of their Brooklyn apartment,
07:51 well, adjustments had to be made.
07:53 Make way for Mango.
07:55 - In the beginning, when I brought Mango in,
08:00 I was kind of nervous.
08:02 I'm just afraid coming back home
08:04 and see like dead bird or dead cat.
08:09 - Yikes, yeah, that would be terrible.
08:12 You get the feeling it might be a disaster waiting to happen.
08:16 - I know that my cat has the instinct to hunt small animal,
08:19 rats, mice, and birds.
08:23 - Unsurprisingly, cat gone cat.
08:25 Poor Mango's had it hard enough already.
08:29 Her clipped wings and leg band suggests she was a pet.
08:32 So she either escaped or was let loose.
08:35 A common fate for loud, demanding birds
08:38 who can live up to 30 years.
08:39 Not only that, but she's a sun parakeet,
08:44 which happens to be a non-native endangered species.
08:48 Entering a new home, Mango wasted little time
08:50 trying to curry favor with her new roommate.
08:54 - Because there is no birds around here,
08:56 she looking for something else to clean.
08:59 And she liked Ponzu's fur.
09:01 - Heck of a survival strategy.
09:05 Don't discount that bird brain.
09:07 With Ponzu taking advantage of the free pampering,
09:09 Chenin saw enemies becoming frenemies.
09:13 - Those two animals are supposed to be enemies,
09:16 but they're best buddy.
09:19 You cannot separate them now.
09:21 And that is melt my heart.
09:23 - But just as Ponzu had adjusted
09:25 to the idea of having a roommate,
09:28 Chenin brought a new character into her show.
09:31 Introducing Tofu, a Shiba Inu puppy.
09:35 - Tofu is very playful.
09:37 He always trying to be active.
09:41 And sometimes he can be too rough.
09:43 Tofu!
09:45 But he will adjust eventually.
09:47 (laughing)
09:52 Let's go.
09:53 - To give the pair a break,
09:55 Chenin's taking Tofu to the park.
09:57 She's curious.
09:59 What do the friendly duo get up to when she's not around?
10:02 Installing a pet cam may reveal their true nature.
10:05 Turns out the friendship's not just for show.
10:09 These guys actually like hanging out.
10:12 - Even though we are not there,
10:13 they still get together and hang out.
10:16 The bird likes to hop on the cat's back
10:19 and just walk around everywhere.
10:22 - Mango can't fly too well.
10:25 But it seems she trades those grooming sessions
10:28 for a free ride on the Ponzu Express.
10:31 Fair trade.
10:32 - I think she's kind of lazy.
10:34 So she use a cat as a transportation for her in the house.
10:40 And that is quite funny to see.
10:43 - The two still haven't quite warmed up to little Tofu,
10:47 whose excited energy can be a tad overwhelming at times.
10:51 - Tofu is still learning how to become part of the gang.
10:55 When he grow a little more, he's gonna be more calm.
10:58 And it's gonna be perfect.
11:02 (cat meows)
11:02 - Hey, if a cat and a bird can be best friends,
11:05 anything's possible.
11:06 (upbeat music)
11:10 (upbeat music)
11:13 (upbeat music)
11:15 (upbeat music)
11:18 you