Today’s unlikely animal friendship features Jack and Diane, two American kids growin’ up in the heartland. Just kidding. They’re a donkey and an emu who are super in love.
The donkey-emu pair survived an abusive situation and are inseparable now.
They were rescued from a farm in Kershaw, South Carolina after being abandoned by a neglectful owner. They were brought to Carolina Waterfowl Sanctuary in Indian Trail, North Carolina. The rescue thinks that Jack and Diane have been each other’s only source of comfort and kindness for years.
When they were initially rescued, workers attempted to separate the pair – not realizing they needed to stay together. Distress was immediate: Jack started crying and Diane was ‘drumming’ which is how emu’s call to their mates. At the sanctuary, Jack was placed with a few of the other donkeys, who he attacked. It became apparent to the shelter that the pair needed to stay together. They sleep next to each other and share their meals, despite eating different food.
Initially worried it would be difficult to find a place that would take both of them, the sanctuary has now had over 2,000 applications for Jack and Diane. They’ve had to stop taking applications so they can sort through the thousands they have currently.