The animal kingdom is rife with all sorts of strange and surprising friendships.

Against all belief, sometimes cats really love dogs, and Koko the gorilla was known for her love of kittens. But when one animal is a known predator of another species, it’s really special to see them bond.

Miki the lion is best friends with Camila the dog.

The live together at the same animal sanctuary, and they are known for being besties. Miki the lion has known Camila all his life, so even though he might have been her predator in the wild, in the sanctuary they only know friendship. In their most recent video, Miki even tries to kiss Camila’s paw.

This smart lion is dexterous enough to pick up his friend’s paw with his own paw. After holding it for a while, he gives Camila’s paw a little kiss. It’s a sweet moment and we are so glad it got caught on camera!

But unknown to this perfect gentleman, Camila is not in the mood for affection, and she lets him know it.

Camila was patient the first time Miki took her paw in his and kissed it. But she got tired of his foolishness quickly. In fact, the second time Miki tries this, Camila turns around and walks away.

Afterwards, Miki follows Camila with his tail literally between his legs! He seems to know that he pushed the wrong buttons and wants to make it right. It’s a hilarious video that shows the cutest inner workings of the animal kingdom.

The video was posted on YouTube and it’s proof of their strong bond.

Miki and Camila were discovered together in the wild. So they were brought together to the Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation in Mexico City. According to the foundation Miki and Camila:

“have been together all their lives, way before we rescued them. And if they’re not together, they get super nervous.”

The video was originally posted by ToyQuest 101, who had this to say:

“An amazing bond between two friends since they were young. A mighty white lion and chocolate lab. Watch as the lion goes and kisses the dogs paw. Video shot at the Black Jaguar White Tiger foundation as part of Toyquest101 visit to the foundation.”

Since being posted, the video has gained almost 56.5 million views.

It’s become quite popular on the internet, probably because everyone loves a touching animal moment. A lot of people have left witty comments on the video about the dynamic between these two animals:

“Lion is saying..” we’re on camera.. let’s pretend we love each other”… Dog…”I can’t pretend long enough.””

Someone else even snuck in a great lion kings reference:

“The dog was moving too slow, so the lion told him to mufasa.”

Although some people were initially concerned that the dog was in danger of the lion, we’re glad to report that these two are just great friends.

We love a strong bond! These two seem to get along wonderfully and what could be better than that? Their animal sanctuary even says that this is part of their philosophy. They say:

“since they were born and currently live in captivity, we have found out that the more Animals living together in one group, the happier they are, regardless of the species. So we have Prides that go from three individuals up to sixteen, and certain groups have members of different species that Love and respect each other.”

It is thanks to the work of The Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation that we are able to witness this sweet moment.

Animal sanctuaries all over the world work tirelessly to help captured and abused animals receive a second chance at a happy life.

The Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation has so far rescued over 320 big cats and more than 200 other animals such as dogs. We hope they continue to do amazing work for a long time to come!

To watch Miki and Camila’s sweet moment, check out the video below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation, Los Angeles Times, Facebook – The Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation, ToyQuest 101