A dog and an orang-utan have forged an unlikely friendship at an animal sanctuary.

Suriya the orang-utan and Roscoe the bluetick coonhound palled up after meeting at The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Most dogs avoid apes, but Roscoe is happy to swim and play alongside Suriya and even lets his hairy friend take him for walks.

Their bond is so strong that US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey is set to feature them in a special show called Amazing Animal Friendship.

Dr Bhagavan Antle, founder of the centre, said: "Roscoe looked really thin and a little lost so we fed him and took care of him. He followed us through the gate and ran over and found Suriya.

"As soon as he saw Roscoe, Suriya ran over to him and they started playing. It was unusual because dogs are usually scared of primates but they took to each other straight away."

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