This Unlikely Friendship Between a Tiger and a Goat Will Brighten Your Day

A Siberian tiger living in a Russian zoo has befriended a goat that was supposed to be his dinner. The unusual relationship began in November when Timur the goat was unleashed into Amur the tiger’s Primorsky Safari Park enclosure as an intended meal for the big cat. However, predator and prey bonded after the fearless goat confronted Amur and took over his sleeping place, according to the Washington Post. The two animals have since spent their days together frolicking around the pen and playing with a ball.

“The situation is really weird. For three years running we have fed Amur a huge number of goats, rabbits, roosters and rams,” Dmitry Mezentsev, the general director of the zoo, told the Post. “Amur has never rejected prey before. There was just one case when the goat given to Amur lived through the night. Amur ate him the following morning.”

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The situation has attracted thousands of people to the park, with 3,000 visitors over the New Year holidays alone. “We have never seen so many visitors,” said Mezentsev. “On the New Year weekend, everyone decided to come to witness Timur and Amur. We asked the workers to cancel their break and come to work. We are even thinking about asking police here to keep the order.”

See footage of the animal pair below.