Pictured: The monkey mother who lost her baby ... then adopted a puppy dog instead

But the odd couple have formed a special bond after the female monkey decided to adopt the puppy.

According to locals in Jammu, India, the grieving monkey transfered its maternal affections to the pup after losing its child.

The female monkey cradles its adopted pup

The pair look quite happy together, but it's not they are not the first animals to make unusual companions.

In September last  year a 12-week-old macaque monkey made best friends with a pigeon in an animal sanctuary in China.

Also in 2007 a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her piglets when his mother could not feed him.

Monkey business: The monkey clutches the adopted pup, as another monkey approaches the tree

In 2005 a baby deer named Mi-Lu befriended lurcher Geoffrey at the Knowsley Animal Park in Merseyside after she was rejected by her mother.

Famously a lioness in Kenya adopted a baby oryx in 2002. Sadly it was eaten by other lions.