Here’s a little story ’bout Jack and Diane.
Jack, a male donkey, and Diane, a female emu, are an unlikely animal pair who have fallen in love. And although the two lovebirds (lovedonkeys?) are undeniably adorable, their tight bond is creating an obstacle for a North Carolina animal rescue.
According to Jennifer Gordon, executive director of Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, the odd couple was discovered in “a very small pen together” on an abandoned farm in Kershaw, South Carolina, last week. Gordon told HuffPost that their extremely close relationship wasn’t apparent to rescuers at first, and the team decided to load Jack onto a truck before Diane.
“The emu went kind of crazy,” Gordon said. “She was sticking her head through the fences and we were worried she was gonna hurt herself.”
Gordon said she was a little worried about putting the two animals in a trailer together, but decided to try it and see what happened.
“As we got on the road, we looked back there and they were both laying down together and snuggled up.”
Once the duo arrived at the Indian Trail-based rescue, Gordon said they decided to pair Diane up with another emu.
But it was a big mistake.
The Charlotte Observer reports that Diane “got frantic,” according to Gordon. Jack “started crying” and “paced around like an expectant father.”
“The donkey did not want other donkeys around the emu and the emu didn’t like [her new mate],” Gordon explained to HuffPost. “So we just decided to keep them together and they were very happy.”
The Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is currently trying to find a permanent home for Jack and Diane together, but the task is proving to be difficult. They don’t want to split them up, but neither Jack or Diane get along with other donkeys or emus. Gordon also noted on Facebook that they “can’t be put in with other animals.”
Gordon said she’d prefer placing the two in a nonprofit sanctuary, but will consider private adopters if that doesn’t work out.
“It wasn’t easy trailering them and we don’t think it’s in their best interest to get moved multiple times all over the country,” Gordon wrote on Facebook.