Cougars, Gators, and Wolves? Meet the Beast Buddies

From a couple caring for a cougar in an apartment in Russia to a man who lives among a pack of wolves, these aren't your ordinary pets. Here's a look at some of the most unlikely relationships. For more on these owners and why they care for these animals, watch BEAST BUDDIES on Animal Planet.

August 27, 2021

By: Discovery

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Monkey business

Pinky gets some of her monkeys together for breakfast. She and her husband care for about half a dozen primates that they rescued from situations that were abusive or where people purchased them illegally. While the monkeys may look cute, Pinky says she wouldn’t recommend them as pets to anyone, citing how time consuming it can be to care for them, which many people don’t realize.

Jimmy the bear

Jim and Susan have dedicated their lives to caring for orphaned animals, including this bear named Jimmy. The couple also cares for about 10 other bears at their wildlife sanctuary.

Rescued joey

Theresa and Tony run a sanctuary in Australia to care for injured and orphaned kangaroos and wallabies before releasing them back into the wild. They make blanket pouches for the joeys to replicate a mother’s pouch.

Rescuing wild cats

Babette founded her own sanctuary in South Africa where she cares for big cats, including cheetahs, leopards, and servals. Most of the cats she has rescued were born in captivity to be hunted or bred. She says she wanted to make sanctuaries a better place for animals to live.

Wild monkeys in India

Shyam Sadhu, known as Monkey Man, has made it his own job to take care of the wild rhesus macaques in Northern India. Regardless of the weather or his own health, he prepares and feeds the monkeys on a daily basis — and has done so for over 40 years. While the monkeys look cute, they can be very aggressive and carry deadly viruses, and locals stay away. But Shyam says he feels it’s a spiritual calling.

Pearl the albino gator

Pearl, a very rare albino alligator, lives at Gatorland in Florida. Savannah, who works at Gatorland, says she wants people to learn to respect and appreciate alligators and crocodiles. “You can’t say you’re an animal lover if you just love the furry ones.”

Messi the cougar

Messi the cougar plays with a soccer ball, just like his namesake. Messi lives with Maria and Aleksandr in an apartment in Russia. The couple found the cougar at a petting zoo. They say he has health issues that make him half the size of a regular cougar and that it’d be unlikely he’d be able to survive on his own in the wild.

Cuddling a Bengal tiger

Janice cuddles with one of her two Bengal tigers that she cares for in Florida. Janice says she understands captivity isn’t the best place for them, but she believes she’s helping the plight of the tiger by caring for them.

The Wolfman and his pack

Shaun Ellis, also known as the Wolfman, says he’s dedicated to changing the perception around wolves. He’s been living and working with this pack of wolves since they were abandoned by their parents. Shaun says he considers himself part of their family, even wearing clothes with their scent on it.

Lilly the pampered alligator

Angela enjoys time with her alligator named Lilly in Pennsylvania, where it’s legal to have an alligator as a pet. Angela has had her gator since she was a hatchling and says she enjoys being dressed up. “She’s pretty close to being the most pampered gator in the world,” Angela says.

Gabby and the gator

Gabby places her chin in an alligator’s mouth as part of a show she performs for tourists in Florida at Everglades Holiday Park. She also helps her boss, Paul, with gator rescues, normally from popular residential areas. They save about 100 gators each year.

Bears love honey

Bonnie feeds her two black bears some honey at her home in Texas. She says the bears showed up one day when they were cubs, and she’s cared for them ever since. She also owns pigs, horses, cattle, and a Bengal tiger, who she’s also had since it was a cub.

Normal laundry day

Simon gets some laundry done with one of his 80-plus snakes around his neck. He and his wife, Siouxsie, run an animal sanctuary in England. They hope to educate and change peoples’ attitudes about snakes.

Wilbur takes on NYC

Navy veteran Nadine takes her pig, Wilbur, for a walk around New York City. Nadine got Wilbur when he was only three weeks old. Now, he’s 65 pounds and the vet says he’s full grown. It’s illegal to own a pig in NYC, but Wilbur is an exception, since he’s a therapy pig who helps Nadine.

Riding camels to school

The Fossett family kids ride camels to school in their town in the UK. The family also takes the camels everywhere from the local store to the local pub. The father, Joseph, has been an animal trainer for over 35 years and trained these camels to be friendly with people.