Today being Sunday, here's a story to make you feel good despite the rain and the grey skies: These are Leo, the African lion, Baloo, the black bear, and Shere Khan, the Bengal tiger.
The threesome were rescued as babies from the basement of an Atlanta drug dealer's home when it was raided by authorities.
They were starving, traumatised, and had bacterial infections.
Since then, they were brought to Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary ...
... where they've lived together in the same habitat for thirteen years.
The only time the three were separated was when Baloo was sent to surgery (while at the drug dealer's home, Baloo had been mistreated so profoundly that the harness that was put on him had grown into his skin).
The two cats were distraught and cried for the bear's return when he was at the vet's. Since then no one has been separated from the group.
They clearly bonded during their earliest memories and never wanted to be apart.
Now they live together as if they were brothers of the same species.
They play together, nuzzle one another, and are extremely affectionate.
This threesome is the only tiger, lion, and bear living together in the world.
They're just that exceptional.
Man could really learn from the bond that these three have.
But then, man is the only species to whom the torture and death of his fellow-creatures is amusing in itself. And, perversely - and without wanting to put you off your altar wine this morning -, man is the only species that invented religion in whose name so much killing is done.
