The disabled 500 pound (227 kg) lion and his unlikely Dachshund friends who have been inseparable ever since the lion was a cub.
The lion is named Bonedigger and his friend is Milo, an eight-year-old Dachshund which rarely leaves his side.
Bonedigger was born with a metabolic bone disease that left him mildly crippled and has also struck up an unusual bond with zookeeper John Reinke, who lost both of his legs following a bungee jump accident.
When Milo and two other five-year old wiener dogs, Bullet and Angel, sensed that the lion was disabled they sought to comfort and protect him and become his friends for life.