Cats and dogs have been some of mankind’s best friends from the animal kingdom since ancient times, but under special circumstances, close and loving, yet unlikely friendships can form between us and other wild animals. Such is the case with Vadim Veligurov, a 12-year-old boy in Russia who befriended a wild sparrow bird.
Vadim and the tiny bird, named Adi, have been inseparable ever since he found the abandoned baby bird and nursed it back to health. He found the little bird while spending the summer at his grandmother’s house in Minusinsk, a distant Russian town in the Krasnoyarsk region. After nursing it back to health, it chose to stay with him, perching on his shoulder and even sharing food with him.