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Black-Thirteen t1_ixvokcm wrote

I saw a cheetah that lived in a cage with a golden retriever friend at a NJ zoo. Forgot all the details, but something like they couldn't find an appropriate playmate of the same species, but the dog worked out just fine.

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thinkitthrough83 t1_ixvspl8 wrote

Its not unusually to pair cheetah cubs with labs. Has something to do with personalities and energy

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rileyk927 t1_ixxjowz wrote

Cheetahs are naturally incredibly anxious and high strung, in captive and wild environments. In facilities that utilize these types of social bonding, such as the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, they raise the cheetahs as cubs and goldens as pups together so they grow together. Cheetahs form close-knit social groups in the wild and benefit from these relationships in captivity. The mellow personalities of the dogs chill out the cheetahs and they form very strong bonds. Some facilities have the dogs live with the cats 100% of the time, others have the dogs present when the zoos are open and active. It’s a very interesting way to mix domestic and wild, and to see how animals can help animals.

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