Here’s some cheetah cub and puppy goodness to bless your timeline. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden recently introduced a two-month-old cheetah cub named Rozi (pronounced Rosie) and a three-month-old shelter pup named Daisy. Solitary cheetah cubs need friends to ease their anxiety, and puppies are the perfect fix. We have to say, we are here to learn more about this animal friendship between a cheetah and its puppy friend. Especially because it turns out, Rozi and Daisy aren’t the only puppy and cheetah friends out there.
The Friendship Between Cheetah Rozi and Puppy Daisy
In the video below, they play and check each other out. Daisy barks and Rozi chirps. While they don’t become fast friends, exactly, it’s a step in the important process of turning them into companions. Keepers will continue to introduce them slowly until their bond becomes strong.
Rozi’s mother wasn’t caring for her at the Wildlife Safari in Oregon, which can happen when a cheetah mom only has one cub instead of multiple. So Rozi was transferred and is being hand-raised in Cincinnati. While humans can supply her with food and toys, cheetahs need socialization. And that’s where a companion dog comes in! Daisy will act as a sibling, tussling and snuggling together for life.
Other Cheetah and Puppy Animal Friendships
Cheetah Kris and Puppy Remus
The Cincinnati Zoo is only one of the wildlife facilities that successfully pairs cheetah cubs and puppies. You can also see these friendships in person at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, Dallas Zoo, and at least a few others. Pairing baby cheetahs with puppies is happening more often as the benefits become obvious. Already at home in Cincinnati are cheetah Kris and dog Remus, who have been friends since they were young and do almost everything together.
Cheetahs and dogs playing and snoozing together is a much cuter way to get your cheetah content than those cheetah robots or the Wonder Woman villain. Just look at that little face!
Cheetah Emmett and Puppy Cullen
The Columbus Zoo also has a famous pair of pals, with delightfully nerdy names. Cheetah cub Emmett and his puppy best friend Cullen (get it Twilight fans?) recently went viral for their friendship.
You can learn all about this duo in a video released by the zoo. The description shares that cheetah Emmett struggled with pneumonia after he was born and picked Cullen to be his companion dog. As the video shares, “Cullen will help Emmett to be more confident and calm, as cheetahs are naturally skittish animals.” Our hearts are melting at this sweet animal friendship.
Apparently, we’ve been saying it wrong all along, dogs are actually cheetah’s best friend.
Originally published on June 22, 2022.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
