Blind Rescue Baboon Tucks 'Her' Puppy Into Bed Every Night

Maybe the reason we’re so charmed by examples of inter-species care and affection is because we’re a species of animal that finds other animals a constant source of entertainment and delight. We see a monkey thinking a puppy is cute and go, “Of course.” We, fellow primates, also think puppies are adorable.

How else to explain the universal response I got (“Awww!”) when I showed my coworkers this adorable video of a blind, elderly rescue baboon tucking her new puppy into bed?

Meet Cindy, an elderly baboon who lives with Ruben Lambrechts and his family on a farm and animal sanctuary in Namibia, Africa. Cindy spends her days drinking tea and playing with the other rescue animals on the farm, but her favorite evening activity is tucking in the family’s new Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy. In this video you can see Cindy carefully arranging the blanket around the little dog, then carefully grooming through his hair (a primate sign of affection) for any pests.

Related: Pet Meerkat and New Puppy Duke It Out for Household Supremacy

Cindy the Baboon

Cindy first came to live with Lambrechts and his family when his parents took her in as an orphaned juvenile. He refers to her, only half-jokingly, as his “sister” and the care the family take in this elderly creature is quite beautiful. Even though she has a shed-style house on the property, she often goes inside the house, especially when the weather gets cold outside. She suffers from age-related blindness as well as arthritis, which sometimes makes it harder for her to get around. Aside from the usual ailments of age, she’s generally healthy, enjoys her morning tea with milk, and—like any grandmother—loves to take naps in big comfy chairs.

She also loves caring for and playing with the animals on the property, though sometimes she can play a little too roughly, especially because her blindness leads her to not always knowing when the creatures around her need a break. Still, the decades of love that the family has shared with their baboon has not been forgotten—they regularly bring vets in to ensure that her quality of life is as good as it can be, and Lambrecht says he treasures the day she tries to groom him as she used to when he was a little boy.

The Granny of the Group

In another video, the puppy is up and playing with the blind baboon, who certainly doesn’t let her disability get in the way of a game of tug of war. And she’s even being gentle with the baby too (in a similar video, she gets such a firm hold on the resident hog that her mom has to intervene).

Cindy is largely seen as being another “mother” to the other orphaned animals on the farm, and is beloved by all. Lambrecht says many of the animals his family takes in as orphans return to the wild after being cared for on his farm, but a few, such as Cindy, some meerkats, and some hogs, have made the property their permanent home.

That means the puppy will have to learn how best to behave with these wild animals. Though many Rhodesian Ridgebacks have strong prey drives, as hunting dogs, this one will hopefully grow to view them as more members of his family.

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