Originally posted on www.oddastic.com
1. Anna, The Fox
Anna the fox has lived with Russian scientist Irina Mukhamedshina since she was a cub. She has been trained to follow as many commands as a pet dog such as ‘sit’, ‘stand up’, ‘lie down’ – and knows her own name. She learnt these basic commands within 3 weeks of 15 minutes sessions.
2. Enzo, The Tiger
In a lot of ways, Enzo is like a typical house cat. He snuggles up on the couch, claws on furniture, obsesses over cat food and is loved dearly by his family members. But there’s one not-so-typical thing that sets Enzo apart from other pet cats: he’s a Bengal tiger. The couple bought Enzo when he was a nine-week-old cub but almost 27 stone, the big cat has become quite a handful for his owners.
3. Jake, The Hyena
Jake is neither a dog nor any other member of the canine family. He’s a predator — a fully grown African spotted hyena, a breed that kill by running down prey until it becomes exhausted.
Bryan Hawn, the owner and friend to this vicious animal, spent two weeks stripping in Fort Lauderdale to earn the money to buy the hyena with deep, icy-black eyes and razor-sharp fangs which he illegally kept in an apartment for 11 months.
4. Jessica, The Hippopotamus
Jessica the Hippopotamus was separated from her mother during a devastating flood. She was discovered by Tonie and Shirley Joubert on the bank of a river terribly tired and weak -almost on the brink of death. She grew from strength to strength over the years and became fast friends with the dogs, Zaza the rotweiler and the Bull terriers.
5. Koko, The Gorilla
Hanabiko “Koko” is a female western lowland gorilla who has supposedly been taught American Sign Language, beginning in 1972. According to Francine “Penny” Patterson, her long-term trainer, she is able to understand more than 1,000 signs of what Patterson calls “Gorilla Sign Language” (GSL), which is based on American Sign Language, and she understands approximately two thousand words of spoken English. Koko also gained publicity when she reportedly adopted a kitten.
6. Pocho, The Crocodile
Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito prefers a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho – a deadly 17ft crocodile. Chito made friends with the croc after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Central American state’s Parismina river. He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death.
But Chito enlisted the help of several pals to load the massive reptile into his boat. Though it took years for Pocho to bond with Chito, they nevertheless became best friends.
7. Rupert, The Rhinocerous
Rupert was just a few weeks old when the Zambezi valley was flooded to make the Kariba Dam in Rhodesia. Along with many other beasts who would have drowned, he was rescued by a team of animal lovers. Dr John Condy, a local vet, adopted Rupert who became an Orphan. Not only did he become a part of the family, he was a faithful, friendly and a fearsome ‘guard dog.’
8. Timba, The Lion
Annel, a woman from the Waterberg region of South Africa, welcomed Timba, the Lion into her home in 2012 when he was still a cub. Now, she shares nearly everything with her unconventional pet. As a cub Timba could often be found snoozing in Annel’s bed but having outgrown the bedroom the friendly feline still tries to cuddle up with Annel on the sofa.
9. Jaxson, The Alligator
For Laura Mattson, Jaxson the alligator was an 8-foot-long link to her late husband, who adored the reptile he brought home from a Los Angeles pet store 37 years ago. After Jim died in 2012, even though she knew she would have trouble taking care of Jaxson solo, even though she put out feelers to try to find the alligator a new home, Laura Mattson found it hard to let go.
10. Pet Burmese Python
Bingzhe, a 13-year-old boy, sleeps next to his pet python, talks, and even travels with him. Rather than being wary of what the deadly animals might get up to, he share a passion for their snakes.
Bingzhe’s pet black python has been in the family for 19 years- they have cared for it since it was an egg.
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