Heartwarming pictures of the baby monkey which made friends with a TIGER

By Rebecca Seales


To our eyes they look like unlikely playmates, but no-one seems to have told this baby macaque not to monkey around with tigers.

Pictured at the Hefei Wild Zoo in China’s Anhui province, the tiny rhesus monkey, named Taoqi, was perfectly at ease as he rolled around with the big-cat-to-be.

Still at the fluffy stage, the blue-eyed tiger cub was happy to snuggle with its smaller friend.

Give us a cuddle: Baby rhesus macaque Taoqi cosies up to a young tiger cub at a zoo in Hefei, China

One shot shows cheeky Taoqi climbing over the cub's back, while in another he fearlessly bats at the tiger's face.

A quick look at the cub's open mouth reveals the budding teeth that characterise these hunting cats.

It's anyone's guess if their friendship will go the distance, but for the moment, the tiny predator is clearly feline good around his great ape.


Peekaboo: Taoqi peers fearlessly at the camera as he clings to the cub's back

Mind the teeth! The tiny tiger shows its budding fangs as its macaque friend goes in for a stroke

Although Taoqi lives in captivity in eastern China, rhesus monkeys are native to South, Central and Southeast Asia. They are venturesome creatures, and learn to swim at just a couple of days old.

Often happy to live alongside humans, many rhesus monkeys raid refuse for food, or rely on their neighbours for handouts.


source:dailymail