A baby monkey and a tiger cub appear to have struck up a rare friendship as they played together at a Chinese zoo.
The naughty four-month-old macaque, Ban Jin, is seen in trending footage having a piggyback ride on the three-month-old tiger called ‘September’ at the Hengshui Wildlife Park in northern China’s Hebei Province.
The pair shared a strong bond after they were born around the same time and growing up together, a zookeeper told MailOnline.
The naughty four-month-old macaque, Ban Jin, is seen in trending footage having a piggyback ride on the three-month-old tiger called ‘September’ at the Hengshui Wildlife Park
The adorable scene was captured at the Chinese zoo last Thursday when the caretakers let the two best friends play together at an enclosure.
‘They like to spend time together,’ Ms Dai, a park manager, told MailOnline. ‘We would let them play together sometimes.
‘At first, Ban Jin was quite afraid [of the tiger]. But they quickly became familiar with each other and are now best friends,’ she added.
In the trending video, the baby monkey wearing a diaper is seen riding on the cub’s back as they walked around the enclosure, seemingly enjoying their playtime.
The adorable scene was captured at the Chinese zoo on November 19 when the caretakers let the two best friends play together at an enclosure in Hebei Province, northern China
The footage has quickly amassed over 200,000 views after being shared by the zoo on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of Douyin.
One viewer wrote: ‘Ban Jin is getting bolder these days. Look how much he enjoys the piggyback!’
Another commenter said: ‘What an adorable combo. The little monkey wants to play with the little tiger.’
The news comes as another viral video has captured the moment a mouse running up to a cat ‘for cuddles’ after being chased around in China.
Amused web users compared the animals’ relationship to the one between Tom and Jerry, the beloved cartoon characters which cannot live without each other no matter how much they fight.
While the scene may have amused netizens, animal experts explain that the mouse’s behaviour was a reaction to fear under attack while trying to take cover.