Unlikely Animal Friends

Dogs are a man's best friend, but can dogs really be buds with a dolphin, a deer, a bear, a cheetah and a donkey? Ben, a Labrador Retriever, meets an underwater friend, Duggie the dolphin, and often swims to the point of exhaustion to hang out with him. What happens when Ben gets too tired to make it back to shore? Duggie gives him a lift, of course! Cesar Millan joins this episode to explain why it's perfectly normal for a pup to pal around with species of all types - even unlikely wild ones!

Sometimes, a feline can be the best friend of all. From house cats to big cats like leopards and lions, unlikely friendships are formed as these cats cuddle with their deer, bunny, bear and human companions. Stories include a house cat that enjoys play dates with a barn owl, a deer that loves to groom her lynx pal and a rare black leopard that befriends a white bunny.

NGC travels the world in search of nature's oddest couples in a new installment of Unlikely Animal Friends. We'll take a fun-filled look at the astonishing relationships forged by otherwise rival species. At a wildlife rehabilitation center outside of Atlanta, Ga., a lion, a tiger and even a bear live in harmony. Meet a family who made room in their hearts and A LOT of room in their home for an orphaned hippopotamus! aka 'Unlikely Animal Friends 2'

Sometimes, man's best friend is a goose, a seal - or even a bear! Meet Maria, a goose that warms the heart of Dominic, an aging retiree in a Los Angeles park, whose friendship eventually earns celebrity status. And a young boy in South Africa surprisingly befriends one of Africa's most dangerous animal duos: a buffalo and her calf. Finally, Nat Geo WILD's Casey Anderson proves that best friends can come in any shape or size - including a 900-lb. grizzly bear named Brutus!

Meet a picky rhino that finds the perfect playmate in a sheep, and an elderly orangutan that loses her mate to old age but meets a new and unexpected buddy: an orphaned orange kitty. Finally, a lost wild boar finds a new family in a herd of cows that welcome him into their tight-knit circle.

Highlights of the best stories from Nat Geo WILD's hit series Unlikely Animal Friends are brought together in this one hour special. Some favorite friendships featured include Ben the Labrador who is pals with a dolphin; a tortoise who befriends an orphaned hippopotamus; and a lion who prefers play dates with his human friends! These animals remind us that best buddies can come in any shape or size - BFFs forever!

NGC takes a fun-filled look at the stunning bonds animals form with other species, and even prey. A baby hippo is washed ashore after a devastating tsunami and latches onto a surrogate mother a 130-year-old giant tortoise. A lioness plays mom to a series of baby oryx calves, grooming and even fending off outside predators. These unexpected friends defy the laws of nature and demonstrate an evolution in the animal kingdom that would astound Darwin himself.