It is baffling how wild animals portray their love for one another. Humans have been left spellbound by such animal friendship and their sensitivity and affection, even though the animals might belong to different species. A photographer got hold of an incident that is said to be one of the sweetest moments to be offered by the animal kingdom. The 2 animals were unlikely to be friends but it proved that love knows no boundaries and encompasses everything.
Zaheer Ali was on a safari trip when he saw a rhino hidden behind a bush, in South Africa. Zaheer was a photographer by profession and did not think twice about grabbing his camera. He saw that the rhino was not alone and witnessed a moment of animal friendship, that was deemed impossible. The rhino was surrounded by oxpeckers, which is quite common to see in the Saharan savanna. These two organisms exist in symbiosis but the uncommon thing was that a tiny oxpecker was sharing a beautiful moment with the large animal.
The Real Story Behind The Animal Friendship
The oxpecker was gently sitting on the horn and embracing it in a sweet way. This adorable image was caught by Zaheer and is considered to be of the loveliest scenes that Nature has offered to human beings.
The little bird sharpened its beak on the horn and it was the first time that Zaheer had witnessed such a thing. He picked up his camera and waited for the right moment to click the picture.
In terms of animal friendship, the oxpecker and rhinos have a deep connection. These birds rest on the rhino for the whole day and feed on the fly larvae from the rhino’s skin. The oxpeckers help the rhino, too, from certain problems and build up a win-win relationship. The red-billed oxpecker is also known as the “rhino guard” by the natives.
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These birds are known to share such relationships with zebras, wildebeests, and bison. Nature is a beautiful place to look at and can teach us several things. The animal friendship story taught us a moral that love has no boundaries and can be expressed even though we might not be similar or belong to the same species.
Image credit: Zali Photography
