Meet Amur and Timur, the incredible tiger-goat duo that is currently making the news across the world. Originally meant to be the tiger’s live food, Timur the goat has quickly become Amur’s best friend, spending most of his time goofing around or playing hide-and-seek. Currently residing in Russia’s Far East Safari Park, the unlikely pair’s blossoming friendship has silenced skeptics, while also increasing the zoo’s attendance by a staggering 300-percent.

It all started back in last November when Timur was offered to Amur as live food. Instead of cowering in fear like most goats would do in the presence of a tiger, Timur was brave and showed no signs of weakness. Since then, the two have remained good pals, butting heads for fun and even going hunting together. While they continue to live together amicably, the animals do have their occasional fights, like when the goat kicked Amur out of his shelter during a rainstorm. Speaking about the pair’s surprising friendship, the zoo director Dmitry Mezentsev said:

The tiger was confused and gave up… It happened once before, another goat pushed back and the tiger decided not to eat him, but once he showed weakness—that was it—his predator killed him. The situation now is different and the animals are great friends.

To capture the duo’s remarkable relationship in real time, the zoo authorities have decided to install as many as 16 cameras around their shelter. The animals, who appear in two documentaries by filmmakers Sooyong Park and Eleonora Lyubimova, have become huge media sensations, and are even being regarded as a symbol for achieving harmony and peace in spite of differences.

Despite the pair’s growing friendship, the tiger has not entirely lost its predatory instincts, and continues to be fed live food, mainly in the form of rabbits. Mezentsev added:

We still feed Amur live prey twice a week, but we don’t give him goats anymore out of respect for Timur.

Via: The Dodo