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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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A kitten and a baby monkey have struck up an unlikely friendship that has melted millions of hearts online.
A video of William, the vervet monkey being comforted by Marble, the tabby kitten, has circulated on Instagram and amassed nearly 15 million views. It's difficult not to fall in love with the adorable duo who may not look alike or come from the same animal species, but they do share one thing: they are both orphans.
Newsweek spoke to Sarah Carter, 53, a trustee of The Twala Trust animal sanctuary in Zimbabwe, South Africa.
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Carter said that Marble arrived first after being discovered in a car park with her two brothers. Two weeks later, William was found attached to his deceased mom's body after she was sadly killed on a farm for crop raiding.
Carter added: "When William arrived, he was deeply traumatized from the loss of his mum. He was tiny and underweight and terrified. During his first bottle feed, Marble came straight up to him and began purring and washing his face, and he held onto her fur while he drank.
"Afterwards, he curled up against her and made the little crooning noise that baby monkeys make to their mums, and they have been inseparable ever since," Carter said.
The footage in the viral clip shows William wearing a tiny diaper while he latches onto Marble, who is lying down. The pair then appear to share sweet kisses as William licks her nose.
"Marble is always close to William; she seems to feel very protective of him. She washes him and they like to nap together," Carter added.
"William is smaller than the other monkeys. He seems to look to Marble for company and comfort. They sleep together at night as well, cuddling each other, and Marble washes his face after he has eaten, and does little chirpy meows to him to let him know she's close by if he is playing with the other monkeys.
"It is an extraordinary bond between two little rescued animals who were able to help each other recover from losing their mums. We often find with very young rescues that the gentle presence of another animal helps enormously with the healing process after trauma," Carter said.
While the pair seem to have an unbreakable bond, one day, Marble and William will be forced to separate.
"William will be released back to a wild life with the other monkeys when he is older as our goal is always to release wild animals wherever possible; and we would love for Marble to find the happy-ever-after home she so deserves, but that's all in the future," said Carter.
At the time of writing, the video has over 726,000 likes and more than 5,000 comments.
One user posted: "That's real love. He feels comforted and Marble's purrs calm him. William is safe now."
"The way William is clutching and kissing the kitten is at the same time heartbreaking and heart warming. Thank you for rescuing him and giving him another creature to cuddle with and get comfort from," wrote another.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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