They're not even the same species and in spite of all odds, they have bonded. Maybe there's a little something we could all stand to learn from their unique friendship.
When elephants retire, many head for the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. They arrive one by one, but they tend to live out their lives two-by-two.
"Every elephant that comes here searches out someone that she then spends most all of her time with," says the sanctuary's co-founder. In most cases, that means bonding with another elephant but for Tarra and Bella it's a little different. That would be Tarra the 8,700 pound Asian elephant and Bella. the dog. About a dozen dogs also call the sanctuary home but most do their own thing as do the elephants.
If you haven't yet seen this video on YouTube, I recommend you have a peek.
When it comes time to eat Bella and Tarra eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together. They've been best friends for years.
While it was cute and unusual, no one really knew just how close there pair was until recently when Bella suffered a spinal cord injury and was laid up for three weeks.
The injured pup couldn't move her legs and couldn't even wag her tail. That meant three weeks of indoor bed rest. One would think the elephant would go along her merry way and that would be that. But for three weeks she instead held vigil: 2,700 acres to roam free, and Tarra just stood in the corner, beside a gate, right outside that sanctuary office where Bella lay resting.
Then one day as she was getting better, Bella was carried onto the balcony so she and Tarra could at least see each other.
Bella's tail started wagging. Tarra immediately called out at the sight of her friend and once physically reunited, nuzzled her with her trunk while onlookers stared on in amazement. Visits like this continued until Bella was back to her old self and now life has returned to "normal." Bella even lets Tarra pet her tummy - with the bottom of her massive foot.
"They harbor no fears, no secrets, no prejudices. Just two living creatures who somehow managed to look past their immense differences.
"If they can do it - what's our excuse?"
