Monkeys and other animals may be more open to cross-species companionship than many people realize. In a piece on interspecies friendship, an animal specialist argues that humans are not the only species that seem to enjoy contact with animals outside their own kind.
The article begins with a striking scene at Shanghai Zoo: a northern white-cheeked gibbon was seen holding and gently caressing a mouse that had wandered into its enclosure. That moment, unusual at first glance, is presented as an example of how some animals can show curiosity, tolerance and even apparent affection toward very different species.
The broader point is that these interactions can resemble what people think of as "keeping pets," at least in a loose sense. Rather than treating all animal behavior as purely instinctive or hostile toward outsiders, the discussion suggests that some species may seek comfort, stimulation or social contact across species lines.
At the same time, the idea is less about proving animals keep pets in exactly the human way and more about expanding how we understand animal social lives. Cases like the gibbon and the mouse offer a window into the complexity of primate behavior and the wider world of animal relationships.
