Lion and dog are good friends

In an American zoo with a laxer approach to animal welfare than we might be used to here, a lion called Bonedigger has struck up an unlikely friendship with a little dachshund called Milo. Here we see Milo giving Bonedigger a kiss (or trying to get at something in his teeth).

It turns out that Bonedigger is not just friends with Milo but with an entire pack of dachshunds. The mystery of why he sees the little fellows as his friends rather than lunch might just be explained by his own background. Bonedigger had been bottle-fed as a cub, which may have habituated him to people and to the more general idea that non-lions are not necessarily things to be eaten. He also seems also to have been introduced to dachshunds at an early age, so now he sees them as playmates rather than prey.

I would still have to question the wisdom of letting small dogs play with a fully grown lion, but I agree that it does make for great pictures.
More (Guardian, with video of Milo and Bonedigger, image source for Milo and Bonedigger)

Even More (The Blaze, image source for little Milo and dachshund)

Both links feature footage of Milo and Bonedigger.

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