Animal Odd Couples

Animals that behave in ways we would never expect fascinate us. In recent years, the internet has been changing the perception that most species have evolved to stick to their own kind and to generally not get along. Videos, generating millions of hits, are showing different species interacting in ways previously not thought possible. These animals are displaying what looks like friendship, affection and even love towards one another. But what lies at the heart of these behaviours? Can science explain why these unusual partnerships take place? And if so, what can they teach us about how the animal kingdom really works?

Wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin sets off on a worldwide journey of discovery to find out why animals of different species make friends with each other. Why a cat would adopt some ducklings? Could an orangutan really keep a dog as a pet? Could two animals of different species even fall in love? Liz is on a mission to find the reasons behind the world’s cutest and weirdest Animal Odd Couples

We love to keep pets, forming close bonds with them, and making them part of our lives. But around the world some people have sought out unusual – and even potentially dangerous – relationships, with some very surprising animals. For a human to want to befriend a lion or a buffalo is one thing, but why do these animals also form close relationships with us? Can science help us understand how a hippo can become part of the family? Why a polar bear would let a man give her a hug? And how it is possible to join a pack of hyenas without being attacked?

Wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin is on a worldwide journey of discovery to uncover the reasons behind some of the most unexpected friendships between animals and humans. She wants to find out how these relationships are formed, why they work, and what’s in it for both the humans and the animals.