Video: Watch a rhino and a lamb make friends and play together

Footage from South Africa shows Gertjie and Lammie running and playing with each other

Footage from South Africa shows Gertjie and Lammie running and playing with each other. (Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC))

A lamb and a rhino may not seem the most likely of friends but footage from South Africa shows that the two very different animals can get along swimmingly - and adorably.

The video shows the lamb, Lammie, running around the young rhino, Gertjie, who seems to mimic the lamb's bouncy jumps. Although, of course, the sheer weight of the baby rhino's physique means his jumps are far from graceful.

The video was filmed at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) in South Africa. The organisation's website states that it "focuses on the conservation of rare, vulnerable or endangered animals," with cheetah conservation one of their core areas.

The HESC found Gertjie next to his dead, butchered mother on 7 May. Gertjie instantly became an internet sensation after video online showed that he was unable to sleep on his own for a long time after seeing his mother brutally murdered by poachers.

Gertjie is believed to now be roughly nine months old and it is a welcome sight to see the rhino enjoying his time at HESC after such a difficult few months since the death of his mother.

For those hoping to keep up with Gertjie's progress, the HESC has a live video cam monitoring his activity.

Back in July in an update on Gertjie, HESC said that they were "currently looking for another hand-reared lamb to bond with Gertjie. We would like a lamb that is in a healthy condition when it arrives."

Clearly then, they succeeded in finding not only a healthy lamb but one that also enjoys the company of Gertjie.

To donate towards Gertjie and the work of the HESC, click here.