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    Best friends can be found in the strangest places. According to KTAR, a baby coyote and lion cub became inseparable after meeting at an Arizona animal sanctuary. The pair of pals are now full-sized, but they haven't outgrown their friendship.

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    Riley the coyote and Anthony the lion were rescued several years ago and brought to the Keepers of the Wild animal sanctuary. Both of the babies were under 5 weeks old when they were admitted to their new home.

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    "Since they were both very, very small and we really couldn't put them in a habitat, we kind of raised them in our house, which is located in the middle of our sanctuary," Jonathan Kraft, the sanctuary's founder, told KTAR. "They stayed in the house for about three months and really bonded with each other."

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    Once the duo was large enough to make the move outside, the staff tried separating the new friends. The sanctuary quickly discovered keeping these two apart wasn't an option. 

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    During their brief period apart, Riley and Anthony expressed their emotional agony by acting out. Anthony spent his days throwing himself around his enclosure, while Riley relentlessly howled at all hours. 

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    Seeing that the animal odd couple wasn't interested in a long-distance relationship, the sanctuary crafted a large habitat for the two to share. The moment that Anthony and Riley were reunited, both returned to normal. 

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    Riley seems especially protective of preserving her feline friendship. The female coyote has showed no interest or response to the talkative coyotes in a neighboring exhibit. 

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    Riley even intervenes on Anthony's social life. Workers say whenever the lion living on the other side of the duo's habitat approaches the fence, the coyote makes it clear that Anthony is taken. The possessive friend will put herself between the two big cats, as if she is protecting Anthony.

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    Even though 25-pound Riley is much smaller than her 350-pound. best friend, the sanctuary staff says it is clear that her big attitude keeps her in control.

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    Since the coyote spent her formative years around cats and not other coyotes, Kraft believes that Riley might believe she is a feline as well. 

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    No matter who is at the head of this friendship, there certainly isn't any power struggle between the pair. Anthony and Riley are content to spend their days hanging out with each other, even if it's a relationship others don't understand. 

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    "They play with each other all day," Kraft told KTAR. "If you're looking for one, just look for the other, and you'll find them within five, six, seven feet from each other. They sleep together, they chase each other."