Charlie the hippo was abandoned when he was only a couple of days old.

He probably would have lived a sad, lonely life were it not for some very special pals he grew up with at the Zuzuland Rhino Orphanage in South Africa.

Proving that friendship knows no bounds, this lucky hippo was paired up with a baby rhino that had also been abandoned at an early age.

Charlie and Makhosi became fast friends and frolicked around together all day.

But as much as Charlie bonded with his new rhino family, there were some key differences between the two species.

“Charlie was friends with other rhinos, which I guess made him think that he was a rhino,” said Megan Lategan, the manager of the orphanage.

And that was kind of a problem.

African rhinos hate getting wet and are prone to drowning in deep water.

Hippos, on the other hand, need lots of it, as their skin can sunburn very easily.

“He couldn’t understand why he needed to get in the water but the rhinos wouldn’t go in with him.”

Staff members at the orphanage eventually resorted to giving Charlie frequent showers throughout the day with a water-filled bottle.

When Charlie wasn’t getting chased around with a makeshift water hose, he was playing, eating, and just being a typical rhino-bro with his female bestie, Makhosi.

But then one day he set eyes on something he had never seen before…

It was another hippo! And she was a girl hippo, too.

Naturally, his interest was piqued. What exactly was this curvy cutie who looked almost exactly like him?

At first, Charlie didn’t know what to make of Moomin, his new gal pal. After all, it’s not every day you look in the mirror and realize you’re not actually a rhino.

When Charlie’s rescuers heard that there was another baby hippo that needed a mate, the orphanage decided to pair up the two.

But Moomin showed up with her sheep BFF in tow. It turns out she wasn’t the only one who grew up around other animals!

To help facilitate a safe and gentle introduction, Moo and the sheep were placed inside a small enclosure, which made it easier for them to get acquainted with one another.

At first, Charlie was hesitant to get into the water with Moo, but now the two are absolutely inseparable!

The goal from the start has always been to release Charlie back into the wild, and his former bestie Makhosi has already been set free.

Since hippos are very territorial, the plan is to release Charlie into an area where there aren’t any others of his species hanging around…with one exception, of course.

The sanctuary does hope to release Charlie and Moomin together as a paired couple.

And now that he’s learned how to be a hippo from one of his kind, surviving and thriving in the wild will be a breeze.

Check out the adorable video about Charlie, Mahkosi, and Moomin below!

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Source: The Dodo, Zuzuland Rhino Orphanage