Some friends make unlikely pairs. That’s certainly the case when it comes to Jag the jaguar and Bullet the Jack Russell terrier. While it may not be obvious by looking at this pair, they are the best of friends.
At first, seeing these two together is a shock.
After all, Jag is so much larger than Bullet that it’s immediately clear that Jag could eat the dog if he wanted. But once you see how much they love each other, it’s clear that this duo is inseparable.
Jag first came to South Africa as a cub. The Akwaaba Lodge, an animal sanctuary, took him in. Immediately, he and his human owner bonded. They loved each other and even slept together. The jaguar just wanted to be around his newly adopted mom. But his human companion knew that that couldn’t last forever. After all, Jag was quickly getting larger and needed more space and time outside. She searched for a solution that could keep Jag happy.
She found that solution in Bullet the Jack Russell.
She knew this friendly dog would hit it off right away with Jag, and she wasn’t wrong. The two became best friends almost immediately. They would play together, eat together, and even sleep together. It was clearly a match made in heaven.
Jag’s mom couldn’t be happier that he had made a friend.
However, she knew that this pairing would have to change, as well. See, Jag kept getting bigger and was finally maturing into an adult. That meant that he could no longer wander around where he was used to being. Instead, he was going to have to go into a larger enclosure. This would ensure he had enough room to roam around and wouldn’t feel trapped all the time.
The day came for Jag the jaguar to move into his new enclosure, and, unfortunately, Bullet wasn’t invited. After all, he was so small, and he really didn’t belong with the huge cat anyway. Those watching them were afraid that Jag might even hurt Bullet as he had gotten so large. Plus, jaguars aren’t domesticated, so they weren’t sure what Jag would do when they least expected it.
However, this turned out to be a disaster.
Jag and Bullet did not like being separated at all. When Jag first spent time alone in his enclosure, he simply cried for 24 hours. He was heartbroken. And Bullet refused to leave the door of the enclosure, hoping he could find some way to get back in so he could spend time with his best friend.
Luckily, Jag and Bulley’s mom finally decided that separating the two wasn’t really a good idea.
They loved each other so much that it only made sense for them to spend time together. Therefore, they let Bullet get back into the enclosure with Jag. The pair couldn’t have been happier to be reunited.
Though Jag has gotten much bigger and stronger, the two remain the best of buds. And ironically, Jag isn’t even the dominant one of the pair – Bullet is. While Jag may be stronger, he takes his cues from Bullet. At the same time, he’s aware that he is stronger and works hard to be gentle with the small dog.
When you look at these two, it’s clear that they love each other a lot.
Their affection for each other can help us better understand animals and their relationships with each other. While it might seem like two such different species could never get along, that’s clearly just not the case. We should all keep that in mind as we interact with the animals in our lives and remind ourselves that they’re not much different than us.
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