Tarra the elephant mourns the loss of her best friend, a dog named Bella

Just a hop, skip, and a jump down the interstate from where I live in Nashville, TN, sits the 2,000 acre Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary.

This sanctuary became famous a few years ago when CBS highlighted a touching — and most unlikely — relationship that, by all laws of the animal kingdom, should not have come to be.

But it did.

It was the relationship — no, the best friendship — of Bella the dog and Tarra the elephant.

I just learned via my friends at Ecorazzi that Tarra recently discovered the body of her best friend Bella, who had apparently been attacked by coyotes. And as with any loss, she mourns her.

Fortunately for Tarra, her fellow elephants are trying to console her.

You can choose who you allow into your life, but it is oftentimes the friendships that happen all on their own that leave the most profound impact. Here’s to hoping you have a Bella or a Tarra in your life…regardless of how unlikely a friendship it may seem.

Check out the most recent video of Tarra finding Bella first, and the original video of their friendship below it: