Nature can be cruel. Epic showdowns happen at watering holes in Africa. Crocodiles team up against zebras. It’s the circle of life, you tell yourself, as you watch a wolf chasing down a baby caribou on Planet Earth and try not to sob.
Sometimes, though, animals can be surprisingly compassionate. Like this example from Rode, India where, earlier this month, a rhesus macaque monkey unofficially adopted a stray puppy.
The reason the monkey decided it was her job to protect this canine friend is unclear. But it did such a good job of it—carrying it around like her own baby and protecting it from attacks from the larger street dogs—that locals started giving the pair food. And of course, the monkey let the puppy have dibs.
As Zee News writes, “Their undying affection gives us a valuable lesson about relationships.” Which is probably something along the lines of, “Don’t be a crocodile, be a monkey. And always let your friends eat first.”
