Cheetahs, while known as the fastest land mammals, face significant challenges when it comes to reproduction. Their reluctance to breed has placed them at risk of extinction.
To counter this, some zoos have introduced a unique solution—companion dogs, which serve as playmates and guides for these cats.
“It’s a love story of one species helping another to survive,” said Jack Grisham, vice president of animal collections at the St. Louis Zoo and the species survival plan coordinator for cheetahs in North America.
Janet Rose-Hinostroza, an animal training supervisor at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, explained that the dogs play a key role in making the cheetahs feel calm and reassured.
The Safari Park, a leader in cheetah breeding, has welcomed 135 cheetahs into the world over the past four decades.
Many cheetahs in zoos or wildlife parks struggle with social interaction, making them unsuitable breeding candidates.
These animals often have difficulty bonding with other cheetahs or have been abandoned by their mothers.
However, when paired with a companion dog, they tend to relax, play, and mimic the dog’s behavior.
Four of the 19 cheetahs at Safari Park have canine companions, with the same arrangement for four of the zoo’s cheetahs.
The dogs, typically adopted from animal shelters, are introduced to cheetah pups when both are around three months old.
In this partnership, the dog is the leader, but Rose-Hinostroza stressed that the dogs are chosen for their friendly nature. “The dog always has the cat’s back, but it’s never the other way around,” she said, adding that the dogs protect their feline companions.
A century ago, there were around 100,000 cheetahs in the wild. Today, that number has dwindled to less than 12,000, with the species having vanished from at least 13 countries.
There are approximately 280 cheetahs in captivity across U.S. zoos, but Grisham is concerned about their future as their natural habitat is increasingly lost to development and poaching.
Cheetahs live 12 to 15 years in captivity, with males weighing between 120 and 150 pounds and females ranging from 100 to 120 pounds.
The dogs, on the other hand, vary in size. At Safari Park, the smallest dog, Hopper, a 40-pound mutt, is paired with Amara, one of the most assertive female cheetahs.
Breeding cheetahs is notoriously difficult. Unlike other cats, female cheetahs don’t enter heat spontaneously.
They need interaction with a male to trigger estrus, but since cheetahs are solitary, they rarely interact.
Though the dogs and cheetahs live together, they don’t spend all their time together. Dogs enjoy playdates with other dogs and humans and always eat separately.
Rose-Hinostroza humorously explained, “If they ate together, there would be one really fat dog and a skinny cheetah.”
One standout at Safari Park is Yeti, an Anatolian shepherd who works with two cheetahs, Johari and her brother Shiley.
Anatolian shepherds are integral to the cheetah-dog companionship concept and have a long history of working with cheetahs.
Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, introduced Anatolian shepherds from Turkey to protect local goat herds from predators, including cheetahs.
These dogs, weighing up to 150 pounds, are fearless and often face off against larger predators like lions and leopards to protect their charges.
The dogs’ effectiveness in guarding livestock has also helped cheetah conservation. With the dogs keeping cheetahs away from farmers’ herds, fewer cheetahs are killed, and the population in the wild is starting to recover.
“For the first time in 30 years, the cheetah population is increasing because ranchers don’t need to shoot them anymore,” Rose-Hinostroza said.
Not all zoos with cheetahs use dogs, though. The St. Louis Zoo, where Grisham works, has successfully bred over 30 cubs without canine companions.
However, the presence of cheetahs in captivity offers visitors a chance to understand better the challenges these animals face in the wild.
Grisham believes this fosters empathy for their plight, comparing their past treatment in Africa to how coyotes are viewed in the U.S.
Ultimately, the unique relationship between cheetahs and their canine companions offers hope for the species’ survival in zoos and the wild.
Read more Wildlife News.