The Best Friends: Leopard and Golden Retriever Salati, a ten-month-old leopard, and her best friend,

The Best Friends: Leopard and Golden Retriever

Salati, a ten-month-old leopard, and her best friend, golden retriever Tommy, like nothing more than to run amok before settling down for a friendly cuddle. The odd couple were reared together at Glen Afric Country Lodge near Pretoria in South Africa.

Animal wrangler Richard Brooker, 23, raised Salati and takes her and family dog Tommy for their daily exercise together. Each morning, he walks them on his family’s 1,850-acre estate and then lets them run free to their heart’s content.

He said: “Wherever you see one the other is right behind. They are inseparable and both have lots of energy so they get the exercise they both need together. When we first received Salati she was tiny and Tommy could chase her around, but now with Salati matching him for weight the tables have turned. It’s all fun and games and they love playing together.”

Rescued as an orphaned cub, Salati was donated by a local vet to the family-run country retreat, which helps to rehabilitate injured and destitute animals.