This Surrogate Dog Is A Hero To Five Cheetah Cubs Who Lost Their Mom

Vets at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Cheetah Breeding Facility had to perform an emergency C-section on March 8 to save a five-year-old female cheetah named Willow, who was about to give birth to five cubs. While vets were able to successfully deliver the cubs, Willow never fully recovered from the surgery and passed away a short time later, after suffering from lethargy and a loss of appetite.

Sadly, this left Willow’s five cubs as orphans. The zoo’s nursery staff are equipped to bottle-feed and monitor weight, but the cubs were still missing out on the crucial interaction with their mother. That’s where the Zoo’s resident nursery companion — an Australian shepherd named Blakely — stepped in. For the next few months, Blakely will be providing companionship to the cubs, first with snuggles and comfort, and eventually by helping socialize the cubs as they grow older.

Blakely will have his paws full with this assignment. “His first job is to let the cubs climb on him, which they did as soon as they were put together. They need the exercise to build muscle tone and get their guts moving,” said [Head Nursery Keeper] Dawn Strasser, who supervises daily climbing sessions and other interactions with Blakely.

Pairing dogs with cheetahs or other newborn species isn’t an unusual concept. Last year, we learned about about Kumbali and Kago, cheetah cub and puppy BFFs at the Richmond Zoo who may end up spending their lives together. Willow’s cubs, on the other hand, will go on to become cheetah ambassadors after their time with Blakely, whose services will likely be needed by the zoo’s other baby animals.

(Via The Cincinnati Zoo and AP)