A Monkey Adopts An Orphaned Dog

We are always surprised by the news of animals that adopt offspring from other species. And, as this type of information usually touches many people, the images go viral with great speed through social networks. Today, we’ll tell the story of a beautiful monkey who adopted an orphaned dog.

Learn how the monkey takes care of the orphan dog

The two animals live on the streets of Erode, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The monkey began to protect the puppy when he found him very weak and, after that, the two became inseparable.

The monkey takes care of the orphan dog with maternal dedication:

Source: Dinamalar’s Facebook – World’s N.1 Tamil News Website

• Defend him from other stray dogs;
• Carry it in your arms as you would your own puppy;

• Take out the parasites;
• When feeding, he lets the puppy eat first.

Luckily for the two animals, the villagers became fond of them and usually offer food to the two animals.

Information about monkeys

The character in this story is a Rhesus Monkey. It is a species of monkey that is very common in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and South China, although they have also been introduced in regions like Florida, North America.

Among its main features are:

• Their color varies from brown to gray and they have a pink face and buttocks;
• Males reach a height of 53 centimeters and a weight of 7.7 kilograms;
• Females measure 47 centimeters and their average weight is 5.3 kilograms;
• They have a life expectancy of 25 years;

• They stand out for their intelligence and adapt to different habitats very easily;
• They are omnivores. Their diet includes roots, fruits, seeds, bark, insects and small animals;
• They usually give birth to a single offspring per year.

As a significant fact, we can also point out that the Rhesus antigen, found in the blood of these monkeys, allowed the identification of different human blood groups.

Reasons why some animals adopt offspring from other species

But why do some animals adopt offspring from other species? The answer seems to lie in the maternal instinct, although there is no absolute certainty about it.

In general, these cases occur in females, who are usually able to breastfeed and who have lost their offspring. But, in addition, experts say as possible reasons for these adoptions, that:

• Breastfeeding regularly would induce ovulation. For this reason, females would become more capable of giving birth in the future.
• Animals look for a “maternal experience” for when they have their own offspring.

However, in some cases, we can also speak of altruism or simply solidarity and love, virtues that should not be attributed only to humans.

Other cases of animals that adopted offspring from other species

As examples,  we will tell other similar cases of adoption of offspring from other species :

• A pod of sperm whales welcomed a misshapen dolphin that couldn’t swim as fast as its brethren.
• A female dog became the mother of a chimpanzee, who had been orphaned in a zoo. Another nursed ferrets.
• A cat who was raising her baby easily accepted four urchin cubs whose mother had died.
• Another cat easily accepted a Shih Tzu puppy, who had been rejected by her mother, and raised it along with her three small puppies.

Adoption between animals of different species is a happy reality

Adoption between animals of different species is, without a doubt, a fact and takes place both in captivity and in the wild.

We hope that the story of the monkey and the orphaned cub who lives on the streets of a city in India has a happy ending.

Meanwhile, the tenderness that his images arouse takes us away from the madness of a world that daily mistreats humans and animals in different parts of the planet.

Photos: Facebook/Dinamalardaily