A heartwarming video is going viral this week showing the bond between two very unlikely friends.

Baby Ellie is a rescued little elephant who lives in an orphanage in South Africa. Sadly, Ellie was actually rejected by his herd, and he fell into a depression after this abandonment.

When Ellie was first brought to the orphanage, the veterinarian immediately discovered that he had a serious medical condition that affected the blood supply in his body. For awhile, it looked like Ellie was not going to make it.

Though his health was getting better, life was lonely for Ellie until he met Duma, a German Shepherd who completely turned the elephant’s life around! The two became fast friends, and orphanage staffers noticed that Duma “immediately cheered the elephant up” and had a “massive impact” on the spirits of Ellie.

The video below just goes to show how important friendship is to overall health. The love of Duma has completely changed Ellie’s life for the better and given the elephant his health back! It also shows that love is so powerful that two creatures who aren’t even the same species can develop a strong bond with each other.

It warms my heart to see the bond that these two share! Dogs may be known as man’s best friend, but this serves as proof that they can be elephant’s best friend as well!

Check out the beautiful video below, and SHARE this story so that your friends and family can see this heartwarming footage as well!