© Becky Frame / Barcroft Media
In one of the animal kingdom’s more unusual friendships a wild otter has befriended a pair of dogs.
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Enjoying rough and tumble in these heart-warming pictures, the trio became inseparable when Ootie the otter was hit by a car.
The wounded 18-month old male was taken to Sanctuary on the Sapelo – a wildlife centre caring for injured animals – where he made a full recovery over several weeks.
During his rehabilitation, Ootie befriended Donor, an 11-month-old female bloodhound and Chelsea, a 13-month-old female Golden Retriever.
© Becky Frame / Barcroft Media
Both dogs are residents at the independent wildlife reserve, which operates on borrowed land in Pine Harbour, Georgia, USA.
The park’s board president Elizabeth Oxnard, 58, said: “When Ootie was being cared for we tried to minimise his contact with humans to make sure he didn’t become dependent.
“But we didn’t see a problem in letting him near the dogs and during his time here they all just hit it off.
“Now that he is back into the wild he still comes back to visit us regularly and whenever he does the three of them go crazy and start playing and wrestling.
“They all cuddle up together in a big heap. It’s a lovely thing to watch.”
© Becky Frame / Barcroft Media
And despite being out-weighed by several pounds Ootie is definitely the boss of the gang.
“While we were caring for him Chelsea and Donor learned to keep their distance when Ootie was eating. He taught them pretty quickly that he doesn’t stand for being sociable when there’s food around.
“Other than that they all just have a whale of a time chasing each other around and rolling about. You can’t keep them away from each other.”
Animal lover Elizabeth is appealing for donations to her centre so she can relocate to private land.
The sanctuary takes birds and other creatures before nursing them back to health and releasing them into the wild.
Words by Liam Miller
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