Examples of Animals That Adopt Other Animals (Cross Species)

Cross-species adoption is one of the most surprising behaviors in the animal kingdom. While it’s rare, there are documented cases where an animal has taken in, raised, or cared for a young animal of a completely different species. These cases span from domestic animals to wild mammals and birds, and they often defy expectations. Whether driven by maternal instinct, hormonal triggers, or complex social behavior, these moments give us a fascinating look at how flexible and empathetic animal behavior can be. In this article we’re going to learn about some animals that adopt other animals, and why they do it. 

Reasons Behind Cross-Species Adoption 

Animals adopt outside their species for several reasons, though most of them come down to instinct. For mammals, especially females who are lactating or have recently given birth, the cries or helpless behavior of a baby, any baby, can trigger strong caregiving instincts. This is especially true if the animal’s own young has died, leaving a hormonal urge to nurture but no offspring to direct it toward.

In some species, adoption can be explained by imprinting (especially in birds), mistaken identity, or simply close contact with other young animals. Highly intelligent or social animals like primates, dolphins, and elephants may adopt for deeper emotional or group-related reasons, including empathy or the protection of the vulnerable. Whatever the reason, these cases are rare but powerful reminders of how unpredictable and compassionate animal behavior can be.

1. Songbirds

Across North America, many small songbirds unknowingly raise the young of other species due to a strategy called brood parasitism. The culprit here is the brown-headed cowbird, which lays its eggs in the nests of other birds – birds like warblers, sparrows, vireos, and finches. The host bird ends up incubating and feeding the cowbird chick, sometimes at the expense of its own offspring. The cowbird chick usually hatches first, grows faster, and demands more food, yet the adoptive parent continues to care for it as if it were their own. While it is technically unintentional, this behavior is one of the most widespread forms of cross-species adoption found in the wild.

2. Wolves

Wolves are highly social animals with complex pack dynamics, and there are reports of them adopting pups from other packs, and even other canid species under rare conditions. In captivity and wildlife rescue situations, wolves have taken in foxes or stray dogs. Folklore and mythology often draw on the idea of wolves adopting human children (like the Romulus and Remus myth), but while that’s fiction, the core behavior of wolves caring for non-biological young is rooted in real, cooperative social instincts.

3. Domestic Dogs

Dogs are famous for cross-species adoptions, especially in domestic settings. Female dogs with strong maternal instincts have adopted kittens, ducklings, squirrels, raccoons, and even opossums. This behavior is usually triggered by hormones, especially in dogs that have just given birth or recently weaned their own litter. Their strong social bonding and loyalty make them especially prone to accepting other animals, sometimes even species they’d normally chase.

4. Dolphins

Dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals on Earth, and their social complexity extends to adoption. In some wild cases, dolphins have been seen adopting orphaned calves of other dolphin species and even other marine mammals like pilot whales. These adoptions involve swimming together, protecting, and helping the orphaned animal surface for air. The behavior is extremely rare but believed to be driven by social bonding and empathy.

5. Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees have been observed adopting young from other primate species, including bush babies. In sanctuaries and the wild, some individuals have fed, groomed, carried, and protected these adopted animals, sometimes for extended periods. This behavior may come from the chimpanzee’s strong maternal instincts, but in some cases, it seems to reflect empathy or a desire for companionship, especially in captive or isolated individuals.

6. Capuchin Monkeys

Capuchins are social monkeys that have demonstrated cross-species caregiving behaviors, including adopting squirrel monkeys or caring for injured juveniles of other species. In both wild and captive settings, capuchins have been seen feeding, grooming, and even playing with unrelated animals, often integrating them into the group. These adoptions are more likely in species with highly developed social intelligence.

7. Cats

Though more independent by nature, cats have been documented nursing and caring for animals of other species, such as puppies, ducklings, and squirrels. These events usually occur when a female cat has recently given birth or is actively lactating, and the orphaned animal triggers her maternal instincts. Imprinting and environmental familiarity often play a role, especially in multi-species households or shelters.

8. Macaques

In several zoos and sanctuaries, macaques have been seen adopting kittens. They carry them, groom them, and even attempt to feed or protect them. While some of these behaviors may start as curiosity, they often turn into sustained care. These cases are especially notable because they involve macaques forming clear attachments to animals they would never encounter in the wild.

9. Elephants

Elephants are known for their empathy and long memory, and their caregiving behavior extends beyond their own kind. In sanctuaries and wildlife parks, elephants have occasionally been observed taking in orphaned animals, including other herbivores. In one case, an elephant was seen guarding and comforting an abandoned water buffalo calf. While this isn’t typical behavior, it’s a testament to the deep emotional intelligence elephants are capable of.

10. Ducks

Ducks are strongly driven by imprinting. If an animal hatches near a mother duck, she may accept it regardless of species. There are real examples of ducks raising chickens, geese, or even turkeys. While the behavior is often accidental, it can result in successful fledging of the adopted chicks. The same works in reverse too. Ducklings will imprint on a dog, cat, or human if exposed early enough.

11. Geese

Geese have strong parenting instincts and have been known to raise goslings from other bird species. This is most likely when nests are abandoned or eggs are swapped. In domestic and sanctuary settings, geese have taken in ducklings and cygnets and raised them as their own. Their protectiveness and strong family bonds make them surprisingly good cross-species caregivers under the right conditions.

12. Goats

Goats have been seen nursing orphaned puppies, kittens, and lambs in homesteads and farm environments. This usually happens when a mother goat is already nursing her own kids and an orphaned animal is introduced nearby. The hormonal state of lactation, combined with the cries of a baby animal, can trigger nurturing responses, even toward animals that would never naturally end up in a goat’s care.

13. Cows

Cows have occasionally adopted and nursed lambs, goat kids, or even fawns. This typically occurs in situations where the cow has lost her own calf and another orphaned baby is presented shortly after. Farmers and rescuers sometimes intentionally pair animals this way, and when it works, the cow may treat the other species as if it were her own, including full nursing and grooming behavior.

14. Horses

While not common, horses have been reported bonding with and protecting orphaned animals such as fawns or lambs. These cases are more about companionship and social tolerance than full adoption, but the protective and nurturing behavior, like standing over the baby, grooming it, or letting it rest nearby, can last for days or weeks. It speaks to the horse’s herd instincts and social awareness.

15. Red Foxes

In wildlife rehab settings, red foxes have occasionally accepted kits from other fox species or even stray puppies. These instances are rare and usually only occur under controlled conditions, but they show that foxes, like other canids, have the capacity for flexible parenting behavior when stress is low and maternal instincts are high. In the wild, adoption among unrelated kits from different litters is also occasionally observed.

16. Deer

In rare cases, deer have shown caregiving behavior toward orphaned lambs, goat kids, or even puppies. These adoptions usually occur in semi-domesticated or farm settings where animals are familiar with one another. Female deer that have recently lost a fawn may respond to the presence of another crying young animal by grooming it or standing protectively near it, mimicking natural maternal behavior.

17. Tortoises

This one isn’t a true example of adoption, but it’s often mentioned in discussions of interspecies caregiving. The most famous case involves a tortoise named Mzee and a baby hippo named Owen, who was orphaned after a tsunami in Kenya. The two were placed together in a wildlife sanctuary, and over time, they developed a close and lasting bond. Mzee exhibited protective behavior—staying near Owen, moving with him, and tolerating constant companionship. While not parental in the strict sense, the relationship resembled that of a guardian and dependent, and it became a global symbol of unlikely animal friendship.