Mäuschen and Muschi had an unlikely friendship that captured world attention.
A ten-year friendship between a stray black house cat named Muschi and a 43-year-old shaggy Asian bear, Mäuschen, enchanted the world. The unlikely duo who lived in the Berlin Zoo became famous, appearing on a TV show, “Panda, Gorilla & Co.”
Over a decade, the giant bear and the little black cat were inseparable, sharing food and their home. However, nobody knew where Muschi came from. She was a stray and just showed up in Mäuschen’s enclosure one day.
“She appeared from nowhere in 2000, and we decided to leave them together because they got on so well,’ said Heiner Kloes, who worked at the Zoo.
“They sunbathed together and shared meals of raw meat, dead mice, fruit, and bread,” she continued.
Thus, it was as if the two were old souls that recognized one another, perhaps from another lifetime.
The bear and cat made a lot of noise at the zoo. Regular people came to check on what they were doing every day. Mäuschen, which ironically is the German word for “little mouse”, quickly embraced and defended Muschi, which translates as “little gold”, according to German news.
“Mäuschen immediately ‘adopted’ the new guest and protected him from the attacks of other bears.”
When zookeepers were working on renovating Mäuschen’s enclosure, they separated the unusual pair. During this period, the now-elderly bear was separated from the cat in a temporary holding facility.
Muschi, on the other hand, grew distressed and expressed her want to be with her companion to the zookeepers.
“However, [Muschi] cried so loudly for many nights that the zoo board decided: love triumphs.”
Soon after, they let Muschi go into the bear’s temporary cage for a visit.
“They greeted each other and had a cuddle, and now they’re happy,’ said Heiner Kloes, who worked at the Zoo.
Amazingly, the Asian bear lived with Muschi until 43-years-old. Thereafter, the cat remained cared for by the zookeepers.
You can see Mäuschen and Muschi interacting and playing together in the documentary below:
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