Here at Tabooya, we love sharing stories of great friendships. This one is about a couple of very unlikely friends who couldn’t have been more different. But from the moment Tarra the elephant met Bella the dog, they were inseparable.

Deep in the forest, south of Nashville, Tennessee, there’s a sanctuary with than 2,000 acres of freedom for elephants. But for a resident named Tarra, there’s not enough room in the forest to escape the bad news she got recently.

For nearly a decade, Tarra had been best friends with a dog named Bella, a mutt who wandered onto the sanctuary grounds and into the heart of the gentle giant. Tarra clearly loved her little dog and Bella obviously bonded right back.

The power of their nearly 10-year friendship was proven when Bella the dog suffered a terrible back injury. The pooch was kept indoors in the sanctuary’s office. During those three weeks, Tarra made sure to visit the dog every single day and stood right near the office.

Unfortunately, Bella passed away in 2011. Sanctuary workers found her body. By all indications she’d been attacked by coyotes. Whether Tarra witnessed it, tried to intervene or was too late – no one knows.

“There’s nothing we can do to take away her pain,” said Rob Atkinson, the sanctuary’s CEO. “Certainly her whole demeanor changed,”

“She became more reserved, quieter, she was depressed,” Atkinson said. “The only ones who can help now are the elephants. Thankfully, they have stepped in to comfort her during her grieving period.”

Watch the video below, and be sure to pass it on!

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