Kumbali was born at the zoo earlier this year. Caretakers made a decision to continue bottle-raising the baby to ensure his health and growth.
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But Kumbali needed a friend, and that’s when Kago jumped in.
The two have become the best of pals at the Metro Richmond Zoo.
He was just the right mix of calming and playful so the zoo adopted him in July to introduce to Kumbali.
Meet Kumbali the cheetah and Kago the dog.
One zookeeper says, “They’ve picked up each other’s traits”.
Cheetahs are quite different from their cousins – the lions and tigers.
Perhaps their bond is so strong because it began shortly after birth, according to a post on the MRZ website.
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Cheetahs are social animals, making connections with other males. Kago could possibly be used as a companion to another cheetah. The dog has a calming influence because the cheetah will take behavioral cues from the dog- learning not to fear his surroundings, but instead embracing them with confidence. The San Diego Zoo uses this method for several reasons, such as a dog’s body language being able to help a cheetah. As evident in the video above, their very first meeting was a tiny bit tenuous, with Kumbali taking a light cuff or two at Kago, who was too curious and happy to be deterred. “I just can’t believe we have an opportunity to have an animal like this in the Richmond region that we have a chance to get up close and personal with”.
