Mar 14th, 2016, 03:15 PM

Unlikely Animal Friends and Illegal Pets

By Jenna Nellis
Image Credit: Jenna Nellis
The tragic reason a lion, tiger, and bear became inseperable.

Lions, tigers and bears: this "Wizard of Oz" trio has long been lumped together as equally wild forces of nature not to be messed with. Unfortunately, not all wild animals have the opportunity to flourish in their natural environment. The lion Leo, tiger Shere Khan and bear Baloo were raised in horrific circumstances after being illegally stolen as pets, locked in a basement and cruelly abused. Years after being being rescued from the house in Atlanta, Georgia, they still wear the scars. 

The mistreatment they faced together caused an inseparable bond between them. When staff members at Noah's Ark animal sanctuary attempted to separate these apex predators, the result was a severe loss of appetite and desperate cries for each other. They were forced back together.

This trio currently recognizes Baloo as the leader of the pack at 800 pounds and all three of them spend their days cuddling and lounging together. They have been best buds for as long as they can remember and plan to stay that way for many years to come. 

A Bear, Lion and Tiger Form an Inseparable Trio

This would not be the first time wild animals were treated as pets and consequently abused. Although most of this activity is illegal and treading on morally controversial ground, the idea of taming something wild is too exotic for many people to ignore. Although the story ended well for these three amigos, many other wild animals are still being tortured today when they are treated as pets. 

This torture can be administered as easily as tickling. Videos of lemurs being "adorably" tickled went viral until scientists and animal rights activists jumped in the conversation and explained how this was a slow form of intense torture for the Slow Loris. Although they look cute, they are throwing their hands in the air in a posture of self-defense as this process activates venomous glands in their elbows and is intensely terrifying for them. 

The truth behind the slow loris pet trade and 'cute' tickling slow loris videos

Too often wild animals are depicted as "cute" and our understanding of their natural habits is far too limited to match their needs. Fifi the bear, for instance, was rescued in The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado after being raised to perform tricks alongside three other bears in a roadside circus. Because there is such an overabundance of bears in captivity like Fifi, she was abandoned in her cage with and greatly suffered as a result of being deprived of her need for hibernation. Once Fifi did hibernate for the very first time, she was able to remarkably return to her natural self. 

Elderly Bears Take First Steps of Freedom

So as cute as the friendship is between a lion, tiger and a bear, the circumstances that brought these pals together is far too unfortunate and far too common. Although the fascination with wild animals runs deep, the best policy is always to keep wild things where they belong so that they can keep doing what they do best.