Watch the video of the cheetah and dog below.
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Video credit: Rumble
When a male cheetah named Ruuxa was still a cub in 2014, he underwent surgery at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to correct a growth abnormality that was causing his legs to bow. As Ruuxa was recovering from the successful surgery at the zoo’s veterinary hospital, Raina, a female ridgeback puppy, was anxiously watching over him and was beside him as he came out of the effects of anesthesia.
Susie Ekard, an animal training manager at the Safari Park, said, “Raina appeared very concerned about Ruuxa when she saw he was sleeping and she couldn’t wake him. She licked him and nuzzled him, and when he awoke she lay with him and seemed very content to know her cheetah was okay.”
Fast forward several more years and we see Ruuxa and Raina as close as ever and are getting along as only best friends can. Ruuxa and Raina were paired when they were four and five weeks of age respectively and they have been constant companions ever since.
While cheetah and dog pairings are not uncommon in zoos, Ruuxa and Raina are one of the most closely bonded.
This may surprise some people but zoos usually pair up cheetahs with dogs for companionship and for them to play with. The San Diego Zoo was the first to create this buddy system in 1980 and is now being used by zoos across the United States.
The first cheetah-dog pair to ever buddy up was Arusha, a male cheetah, and Anna, a golden retriever. Zookeepers quickly found that dogs have a positive effect on these fleet-footed felines.
While cheetahs are normally peaceful among themselves, males sometimes fight over females in the wild. And unlike some house cats, cheetahs easily get along with dogs, zoo officials said.
The pairings start when the dogs and cheetahs are puppies and cubs. It only takes less than three months for them to bond and become comfortable enough to start snuggling together at night and to play together. Officials explained that the only thing they don’t do together is eating.