Meet Chancy the nyala, who spends his days running with Rottweilers, snuggling with poodles, and even monkeying around with marmosets.
This little antelope doesn’t seem to have any trouble making new friends, even if he’s the new kid on the block.
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Meet Chancy the nyala, who spends his days at the Daktari Bush School in South Africa running with Rottweilers, snuggling with poodles, and even monkeying around with marmosets.
But each of his interactions with other species is special, especially since just months ago, the baby nyala was almost eaten by a pack of lions.
According to the Daktari Bush School, Chancy was found curled up underneath a bush, with his mother nowhere in sight.
“It is not unusual for baby antelopes to be left hidden in the bush by their mothers for extended periods of time,” the sanctuary wrote on their blog.
However, the woman who spotted Chancy was starting to get nervous. She said a pack of lions were nearby, and it had been days since the mother returned to her young.
She worried that little Chancy’s mother had been eaten by the lions, and the baby would be next.
“After it became clear that the mother wouldn’t return, Chancy was picked up and brought to Daktari,” the blog wrote. “Without a source for nutrition at such a young age, he would have most likely not survived.”
He soon became quick friends with every single animal taken in by the shelter, but in particular, Chancy formed a bond with Thor, a marmoset that is often spotted lounging on Chancy’s back.
Thor used to be inseparable from his marmoset best friend, Leila, but when she passed away, Thor became Chancy’s constant companion.
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Even though Chancy has since been deemed healthy enough for release and is free to come and go from the sanctuary, rescuers said he often returns to visit, and when he does, Chancy can always be seen letting Thor the marmoset hop on his back, for old time’s sake.
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