A cheetah cub in an Australian zoo has found an unlikely new best friend, a puppy.
The Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia, announced on Monday, July 28, that their only cheetah cub named Rozi had been given a companion to make her feel less lonely, reported People.
According to the zoo, Rozi (meaning rose in Swahili) was born in February via an emergency cesarean section to her mother, Siri, who resides at the same zoo.
Although Siri eventually recovered from the birth, the cheetah mom was not able to produce any milk for her cub and Rozi was moved to intensive care, resulting in Rozi being hand-raised by human caregivers.
"Rozi doesn’t have any cheetah siblings and cheetah cubs normally play together, chase, pounce, groom and stalk each other. All of these behaviors are key milestones for a growing cheetah cub to learn," zookeeper Jordan Michelmore said.
Now, at around five months old, Rozi has some animal company, although it comes from an unlikely source, a black labrador-kelpie-collie mix named Ziggy.
This isn't the first time a zoo has experimented with socializing its large cats alongside dogs.
A number of organizations across the world have raised cubs and puppies together for companionship, including the San Diego Zoo, which pioneered the idea more than three decades ago, and Rozi's mother, Siri, has also had a canine companion.
