The real-life Timon and Pumbaa: Warthog and mongoose are good pals

This warthog and mongoose look like they have no worries as they’ve become best friends just like a real-life Timon and Pumbaa.

Miss Piggy the warthog and Mongo the mongoose have an uncanny resemblance to the famous friends from the iconic Lion King films.

The pair live at an animal conservation centre in Botswana.  

Just like their big screen doubles, Miss Piggy and Mongo love to play together and Mongo even rides on his friend’s back.

This warthog and mongoose look like they have no worries as they’ve become best friends just like a real-life Timon and Pumbaa

Miss Piggy was rescued as a baby after being hit by a car and Mongo is an orphan

Miss Piggy was rescued as a baby after being hit by a car and Mongo is an orphan 

Miss Piggy the warthog and Mongo the mongoose have an uncanny resemblance to the famous friends Timon and Pumbaa from the iconic Lion King films

Miss Piggy the warthog and Mongo the mongoose have an uncanny resemblance to the famous friends Timon and Pumbaa from the iconic Lion King films

Fans might notice Mongo is a mongoose and not a meerkat like the character Timon, but both species are closely related.

And both Miss Piggy, aged eight, and six-year-old Mongo have found happiness after a rough start in life.

Miss Piggy was rescued as a baby after being hit by a car and Mongo is an orphan.

But now they have found happiness together at CARACAL – the Centre for Conservation of African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land use – in Chobe, Botswana.

Because they have been rescued, they cannot be safely returned to the wild so the pair act as wildlife ambassadors helping to educate local communities.

Miss Piggy was rescued as a baby after being hit by a car and Mongo is an orphan

Miss Piggy was rescued as a baby after being hit by a car and Mongo is an orphan

They have found happiness together at CARACAL ¿ the Centre for Conservation of African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land use ¿ in Chobe, Botswana

They have found happiness together at CARACAL – the Centre for Conservation of African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land use – in Chobe, Botswana

CARACAL volunteer Kaitlin Joos Vandewalle, 23, has known Miss Piggy and Mongo since they first arrived at the centre.

She said: ‘It absolutely feels like we have a special pair here, very similar to the nostalgic images that come to mind when thinking of Timon and Pumbaa.

‘The two definitely get along, it is almost guaranteed that if you go down to them you will encounter some form of playful interaction occurring.’

As this amazing video and images show Miss Piggy and Mongo like nothing better than playing together or wallowing in the mud.

In the film the pair famously sing the song Hakuna Matata, a Swahili phrase often translated to mean ‘no worries’.

And it looks like that is what things are like now for this real-life version of the Lion King pals.

Kaitlin said: ‘Miss Piggy came to us in 2013, as a baby warthog. She had been hit badly by a car and my mother was called in to evaluate and treat the animal.

‘This particular mongoose, Mongo, came to us as an orphan, after the mother had been hit by a car.

‘Both Miss Piggy and Mongo are unable to be returned to the wild safely. As a result, they live as part of the CARACAL family and serve as wildlife ambassadors for their species, bringing joy to those who get the chance to meet and learn about them.

CARACAL volunteer Kaitlin Joos Vandewalle, 23, has known Miss Piggy and Mongo since they first arrived at the centre

CARACAL volunteer Kaitlin Joos Vandewalle, 23, has known Miss Piggy and Mongo since they first arrived at the centre

‘We see more than 2000 school children from around the country at the centre each year.

‘The animals that live with us at CARACAL serve as wildlife ambassadors for their species, helping us to educate the public on the importance of wildlife and biodiversity in the region.’

CARACAL is a donation reliant not-for-profit NGO founded by Kaitlin’s parents; disease ecologist and wildlife vet Dr Kathleen Alexander DVM PhD and wildlife biologist Dr Mark Joos Vandewalle PhD.

The NGO is focused on assisting communities in Northern Botswana and securing the health of the environments on which they depend, including assisting wildlife that are injured or orphaned in the region.

Kaitlin said: ‘I grew up here in Chobe, Botswana; living in the Chobe National Park for my beginning years, as my parents had worked for the Botswana Wildlife Department.

‘I have been volunteering at CARACAL for as long as I can remember; when I was little I would give educational tours through the park to school children, local visitors, and tourists.

‘In addition, I often spent my time caring for the orphaned or injured animals that would come under our care.

‘More recently, now that I have received my Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Tech in the United states, and moved back home more permanently, I have been assisting with research in both the lab and field and have also begun expanding our social media presence.’