They say that friends come in all shapes and sizes. But now, it seems like they also come in all species. An Asiatic lion in Rajkot is proof, who has found a companion in a timid black dog. The lion, who does not unleash its roar at the dog, has been strolling through from Gir to Lodhika, an industrial region in Rajkot, with its new friend. 

According to The Times of India, officials of the forest department have corroborated that the sub-adult lion seen near Sanganva, a village in Lodhika taluka, was casually walking alongside a black dog during its journey.

The lion, who has returned to a sanctuary Gujarat’s Girnar, has constantly been photographed with the canine by forest teams. 

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According to officials, the dog often joined when the wild cat sprinted at something, and sat alongside the lion when the animal squatted down to rest.

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Forest officials have also revealed that the lion, which apparently belongs to a protected territory, grew instantly defensive when it spotted humans as it entered a new region. 

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“It’s rare to see a dog accompanying a lion in the latter’s landscape. It’s possible that the dog might never have seen a lion before,” said Sandeep Kumar, the conservator of forest in the Rajkot circle. 

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“The lion’s height was slightly more than the dog and it had seen new animals in its territory,” Kumar added. 

“In other areas, we have seen fights between lions and dogs but in this area, the lion did not see it as a threat,” he said. 

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This isn’t the first time that wildlife and nature have brought interesting friendship duos to light. In a safari reserve in the United States, Bubbles, an elephant, and a black labrador named Bella, share an adorable bond and often frolick inside the park.