Dog Adopts 5 Cheetah Cubs After Mummy Dies | Dogalize
A male Australian Shepherd dog has taken on the role of mum for five cheetah cubs who lost their mother just two weeks after their birth, at the Cincinnati Zoo.
The cubs “immediately bonded with Blakely,” Cincinnati Zoo spokesperson Michelle Curley told ABC News. “They climb all over him.”The exercise is important for the cubs so they can build muscle and “to get their bowels moving, which is very important,” Curley said.
The young cheetahs are not able to rely solely on Blakely, though. The nursery keepers feed the cubs, but they are excited to play with Blakely whenever it’s time for him to visit, Curley said.
Blakely visits them twice a day for approximately an hour each time. Besides climbing around, the cubs also have snuggle time with Blakely and he “provides comfort” like a mother would.
It’s not the first time Blakely takes care of creatures of different species. He has been working with the zoo for five years after being rescued from a local shelter when he was 7 months old. His first job was also with a cheetah, named Savanna, who was a single cub and needed a companion.
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Source: abcnews
Photo: Cincinnati Zoo