For a long time now, humans have been using animals as support companions for various situations. Animals have proven to be helpful to us in stressful and/or traumatic situations. Believe it or not, we’re not the only ones who need their support. Animals need support from other animals as well, especially cheetahs. The wild cats are naturally born extremely shy, which can prevent them from mating. For many years now, however, support dogs have been assigned to cheetahs to help them cope with the anxiety and stress!They help keep humans calm when they have anxiety or keep them company when they’re emotional and/or depressed.
The most popular support animals are our friendly canine companions.
We’re not the only ones who need animals to assist us in stressful situations. Animals need emotional support from other animals as well!
Captured cheetahs actually tend to suffer from many anxiety-related conditions. Oddly, the best way to help the cheetahs cope with the anxiety is by pairing them up with their own support dog.
The two animals are from the San Diego Zoo and look like they’ve already grown to be the best of friends.
Dogs have been assisting cheetahs keep calm for many years now. The San Diego Zoo has actually been assigning cheetahs with support dogs since the 1980s.
Because of this, they can’t mate. Apparently, “shyness and anxiety don’t bode will for a breeding program.”
This way, the dogs act as their role models. The cheetahs learn from their behavior and look to them for cue.
In simpler terms, dogs teach cheetahs how to open up and become more friendly by creating the ultimate friendship with them.
His Twitter post started a thread that eventually became filled with pictures and gifs of other cheetah and dog friendships.
However, many people are unaware that a lot of zoo animals are there because they were rescued and wouldn’t have been able to survive in the wild on their own.
The odd friendship actually does more good than harm in this scenario!
Meaning that the furry companions are actually helping the cheetahs from becoming extinct.
“A dominant dog is very helpful because cheetahs are quite shy instinctively, and you can’t breed that out of them,” explains Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor at the Park.
The homeless pups are given a second chance in life to serve a new purpose that’ll be equally beneficial!
When the two meet for the first time, they appear on opposite sides of a fence. The dog is usually walking on a leash with a keeper.
They’ll be set up for their very first “play date.” However, both animals will be kept on their own leash for safety reasons.
“There are lots of toys and distractions, and they’re like two cute little kids who desperately want to play. But cheetahs are instinctively hardwired to feel uneasy so you have to wait and let the cat make the first move.”
