Fast friends: Tortoise becomes guardian of wandering baby bunny

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The ancient rivalry between tortoise and hare seems to have ended after an upscale Arizona hotel's pet tortoise appointed itself guardian of a wandering baby bunny.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain hotel in Marana posted photos to Facebook of Wamba, the hotel's longtime pet tortoise, keeping a close watch on the wild-born baby hare that wandered into the tortoise's night shelter on a cold evening to warm itself up by the heat lamp.

"The little bunny (only about four inches long) got inside the habitat and cozied up against the limbs of the giant tortoise. There they bonded -- very quickly, becoming instant friends," the Facebook post said.

A ranger found the two animals snuggled up the next morning and noted Wamba seemed protective of the tiny cottontail rabbit.

"As the Ranger attempted to remove the bunny, so as to clear the plant debris from its neck, the tortoise became quite responsive to their actions, emitting grunts & groans in a clear demand for the gentle care of his newly found friend," the post said.

Ron Brink, the hotel's lead ranger, said the tortoise's behavior was surprising.

"Wamba could have scared the bunny away, but she accepted him," Brink told The Dodo.

"The little bunny just needed some comfort, and Wamba provided that," Brink said. "It's incredible."

The ranger said the bunny received some veterinary attention that might have saved its life.

"We found that the bunny had stuff wrapped around his neck, like grass and weeds," he said. "There were four layers of this plant matter wrapped around, constricting so tightly it was embedded in his skin."

He said the bunny is being closely watched by Wamba and the hotel's rangers while it recovers. He said the bunny will be released once it has recovered, but rangers won't try to keep it away from Wamba if it chooses to return.