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Had they been born in the wild, Bam Bam and Vali would never have met as they would normally live on different continents. Bam Bam would roam the North American wilderness and Vali would be hanging out, literally, in a central African jungle. As the young residents of Myrtle Beach safari park, however, they are becoming the best of friends.
Their unusual and beautiful friendship is not only a treat for the visitors of the park, but it could also serve as an example to us humans about accepting and loving each other in spite of our differences. In other words, it really does seem you don’t have to be the same species to make great friends.
Bam Bam, the 5-month old grizzly bear and Vali, the 16-month-old chimpanzee were both born at the South Carolina safari park, as were their parents.
Although Bam Bam is somewhat younger than Vali, they are a perfect match now because, as park owner, Bhagavan Antle explains: “Bears grow incredibly quick and chimps incredibly slow. Recently Bam Bam got to be about the same size as Vali and we could see that they were just about paired up. When the pair was introduced, they hit it off immediately.” About the first meeting, Dr. Antle says: “We got them out there playing on a sunny day and they went on and on for hours. Neither of them wanted to quit. They would both lie down and fall asleep at our feet, wake back up and start wrestling again.”
Since then the best friends have been spending part of each day together, playing, brains meeting brawns. Bhagavan says: “Bam Bam ultimately has more power, but Vali tricks him and can constantly get behind him. He will throw things at Bam Bam and run around him in circles.”
Their games can get a little wild and rough with lots of tumbling and an occasional nip here and there, but it’s obvious the two love being in each other’s company. As the park owner comments: “They’re fabulous together. Even for myself and other trainees, who have watched this type of thing for decades, these two are hilarious. It brings a smile to your face to see them together.”
Needless to say, visitors also delight in watching the duo playing tag and wrestling with each other. When they’re not together, Vali continues with fun and games among his primate relatives as he is much more active and energetic than his cub friend. He also helps his mother, the chimp ambassador of the park, raise funds for The Rare Species Fund, an international conservation group that has helped raise more than a million dollars for various conservation programs. Bam Bam, on the other hand, prefers a much slower and a more laid back pace of life when he’s not busy playing with Vali. His other favorite pastime is eating.
Bhagavan says: “Bam Bam is an eating machine. He eats an enormous amount of food and likes nothing better than to sit around and enjoy a bottle or bowl of sweet potatoes and chicken mash.” No wonder, in time he will grow to weigh around 400kg and will be about nine times the size of his chimp pal when they are adults. And while the safari park staff can’t foretell how long this unique friendship will last, one thing is sure. Bam Bam and Vali have been inseparable since they met and are best friends for the time being. Let’s hope this is only “the beginning of a beautiful friendship”…
continent – kontinens
to roam – barangolni, kóborolni
wilderness – vadon
literally – a szó szoros értelmében
resident – lakos
unusual – szokatlan
treat – jutalom, élvezet, mulatság
species – faj
match – pár(-ja valaminek)
incredibly – hihetetlenül
to hit off – jól kijönni
to quit – feladni, abbahagyni
to wrestle – birkózni
brain – ész, elme, agy
brawn – izom, testierő
ultimately – végül, végtére
constantly – állandóan
rough – durva
to tumble – bukfencezni, bukdácsolni
nip – éles apró harapás
obvious – nyilvánvaló, egyértelmű
fabulous – mesés, csodás
hilarious – vicces, nevetséges
primate – főemlős
cub – medvebocs
to raise funds – pénzgyűjtés jótékony célra
conservation – természetvédelem
laid back – laza
pace – ütem
pastime – szabadidős foglalkozás
enormous – óriási
to foretell – előrelátni, megjósolni
inseparable – elválaszthatatlan
