Zoo World Panama City Beach Florida

Friends Forever!

This is the true story of Tonda and T.K. (an elderly Orangutan and her kitty T.K.).

     Tondaleyo, or Tonda for short, as she was most often called, was an Orangutan that resided at ZooWorld. ZooWorld is a non profit zoo located in Panama City, FL. When Tonda arrived at ZooWorld she was housed with a large male named Yakut. The two kept each other company and could, on special occasion, be seen sharing a moment by holding hands or stealing a quick kiss. As time went by, Yakut passed on due to his advanced age, which left poor Tonda all alone.
     Because of Tonda's advanced age, transporting her to another facility or introducing her to another of her kind would prove to be extremely risky, and the longer she was by herself the more it seemed to have an affect on her daily routine, activities, appetite and over all zest for life. Keepers tried everything they could think of to pull her out of what was soon to be a depression (much a human would feel when losing someone so close to them). Finally, a decision was made to get her a friend that was a different species since one of her own wouldn't be possible.
     They racked their brains and were finally inspired by the old story of Koko the Gorilla and decided a cat it would be.  It would take a very special cat since Tonda was mother raised and had never been around and animal such as that. Her closest encounters came in the form of ducks or turles taking refuge temporarily on her island home.
     When the time was righ,t a big handsome orange tabby cat was slowly introduced to Tonda. He was the perfect candidate. Sweet, well tempered and willing to put up with anything just to get your attention. He was named T.K. (standing for Tonda's Kitty). As time went on it became evident that T.K. was just what Tonda needed to perk her up, get her moving around and interested in all of her normal activies that including painting on canvases.
     Tonda loved her kitty so much that she would go nowhere without him or at least close enough that she could keep a watchful eye on him. The two were so amazing that it sparked the attention of folks worldwide. Because of T.K.'s positive impact on Tonda's well being, she celbrated her 50th birthday in style at ZooWorld. She had hundreds of guests, presents, clowns, cake and more.
     Sadly Tonda passed of natural causes about a month later. T.K. has adjusted to life as a housecat where he rules the roost. And all who came to know the relationship of Tonda and T.K. have fond memories of just how much they loved each other.
     The story of Tonda and T.K. is a reminder to all of us that true friendship knows no boundaries. No matter what differences may be, a friend can be just the thing needed.