Opposites Attract! These Two Unlikely Animal Friends are Inseparable

Friends can come in all shapes, sizes, and sometimes, even different species! Meet Ruuxa the cheetah and Raina, a Rhodesian ridgeback dog.

Transcript

00:00Rooks a our cheetah cub, we noticed, started to have his front feet turn outward.

00:19We called in some experts to look at this and it turned out to be that one of his front

00:23leg bones had stopped growing while the other one continued, creating that outward curvature

00:28of his feet.

00:29So we had a surgeon come in who was able to relieve the pressure on the one bone.

00:33Now his feet have started to correct, they're going back to forward, and as his bone continues

00:37to grow back correctly, we'll see his feet turn facing forward again.

00:45Rooks and Rain are in training to be ambassadors, and so as a part of their training they're

00:49getting used to all of the stimulus around the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

00:52So we do take them on walks, on leashes, short walks.

00:55The walking is also a good exercise regimen for Rooks in the healing of his legs and

01:00the positive growth.

01:01So walking is something that they do every day here at the park.

01:08Rooks and Rain have the closest relationship of any of the cheetahs and dogs that we've

01:12raised here at the Safari Park over the past 13 years.

01:15To be able to be together from four weeks and five weeks of age has definitely allowed

01:19them to become bonded, much more like siblings than like friends.

01:23They are very, very close, and they take a lot of comfort in one another.

01:35The daily routine of Rooks and Rain is a lot like taking care of preschoolers at this point.

01:39When we show up in the morning, they're full of energy, happy to see us, we need to make

01:42sure they get their breakfast, we clean up after them, they take a nap, they get their

01:45exercise, and it's pretty much eat, sleep, play, repeat.

01:49But one of the great things about them becoming ambassadors is that they have a training routine

01:53as well, and that means they're starting to get out in the Safari Park, so our visitors

01:56could perchance see them walking around our grounds every day.