Unlikely Friendships

The "irresistible" New York Times bestseller that "features heartwarming stories of interspecies love and adorable photographs" (The New York Times Book Review).

Written by National Geographic magazine writer Jennifer Holland, Unlikely Friendships documents one heartwarming tale after another of animals who, with nothing else in common, bond in the most unexpected ways. A cat and a bird. A mare and a fawn. An elephant and a sheep. A snake and a hamster. The well-documented stories of Koko the gorilla and All Ball the kitten; and the hippo Owen and the tortoise Mzee. And almost inexplicable stories of predators befriending prey—an Indian leopard slips into a village every night to sleep with a calf. A lionness mothers a baby oryx.


Holland narrates the details and arc of each story, and offers insights into why—how the young leopard, probably motherless, sought maternal comfort with the calf, and how a baby oryx inspired the same mothering instinct in the lionness. Or, in the story of Cashew, the lab mix that was losing his eyesight, and Libby, the stray cat who began to guide the dog's way through the house and yard. With Libby, Cashew lived out his last few years with loving support and a lasting friendship.


These are the most amazing friendships between species, collected from around the world and documented in a selection of full-color candid photographs.


"The feel-good book of the summer—maybe the year—may very well be Unlikely Friendships." —USA Today

"With aww-inducing photographs, the book highlights the most improbable animal connections." —National Geographic