NathanImitation
Milo has developed the habit of mimicking whatever Bonedigger does! “Milo does his best to copy Bonedigger when the lion tries puffing to communicate with other lions in the park,” Mr. Reinke has even observed. There is no denying that the pair is inseparable.
Little Helper
Bonedigger is not the only one in charge when it comes to hygiene. Milo makes it a point to return the lion’s flea removals by cleaning his teeth! It is difficult to wrap one’s head around this friendship because it is so out-of-the-ordinary. How does the zookeeper feel about all this though?
The Zookeeper
Bonedigger has an weird connection with the zookeeper, John Reinke as well. Most animals do not really have a close bond with their zookeepers but Bonedigger is an exception. Reinke had both his legs removed due to an injury after he had a bungee accident. They both are physically impaired so maybe they get each other better.
Reared
Reinke has actually hand-reared Bonedigger even since he was just a little cub here at the animal park. Reinke discovered he had the ability to communicate with animals after he met with his accident. “Bondigger’s like a dog and when he hasn’t seen me for ages he gets all excited and runs up to me,” Reinke explained joyously.
Blown Away
Reinke did not expect this friendship to grow between them. Even during the times, he was still bottle feeding Bonedigger as a cub, he never for once imagined that this type of friendship was something he would ever encounter. Bonedigger somehow saved Reinke’s life too.
Life-Saving
Reinke injured his legs so bad after the bungee accident that he had to get them amputated. “That was another low moment for me because I value my independence highly,” Mr. Reinke explained further, “Bringing up Bonedigger and Tony helped me recover, especially my relationship with Bonedigger.”