Dogs Help Cheetahs Overcome Breeding Fears in New Zoo Project (Revised)

Originally published by The Huffington Post at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/companion-dogs-cheetahs-friendship-zoos_n_2667033.html.
-San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Who knew that dogs and cats, traditionally portrayed as mortal enemies, could ever cooperate together in a mutually beneficial opportunity? Four of the nineteen cheetah residents at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park currently have dog companions, all of which were adopted from local shelters. Why would this be beneficial to the cheetahs, you ask?

Cheetahs are a shy, secretive, and timid cat. Plus, unlike most other mammals, who go through a cyclic estrous cycle, cheetah females only go into heat when they are around cheetah males. Add to that the fact that most captive cheetahs have a very hard time getting along with other cheetahs and have a tendency to abandon their cubs and you have an animal that is extremely hard to breed in captivity. The dogs help calm the cheetahs down and give them confidence in being around other animals.

As one person says in the original article: "It is all about comforting and reassuring the cheetah…. In this relationship, the dog is dominant, but we look for dogs that want to be a buddy." Dogs are one breed of companion animal that know how to be a buddy.

One of the major problems with companion animals (mainly dogs and cats, although birds can be included too, especially as tropical birds can live longer than their owners) is that so many of them end up unwanted in shelters. People directly involved in the veterinarian profession are always looking for ways to “recycle” these shelter animals and find them good homes. What else could we ask for any dog than a loving home and a furry friend to keep company?

As a vet tech, the conservation idea presented here is extremely appealing to me. Our job at its basic level is the preservation of animal life. With this program, not only are dogs that otherwise might not have been adopted finding a happy home, but they are helping create new life for the cheetah species. The involvement of companion dogs in the cheetah breeding program also has a certain sort of irony to it: that of a domesticated animal helping to restore a wild animal species to a healthy population.

Of course probably the most important aspect or concern that vet techs have for animals is quality of life. Many city dogs are left alone all day with no one else and nothing to do. They lack the socialization that dogs need, not just with humans, but with other animals as well. This program not only provides a usefulness and necessity for shelter dogs, but it also gives them a friend.