The Dallas Zoo has just become the new home to two male cheetah cubs named Kamau and Winspear. Some day they'll be able to go from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds but today they're meeting their new best friend. To calm the naturally nervous and rambunctious cheetahs, animal care specialists are employing an effective tactic used by zoos; they're pairing the cheetah cubs with a black labrador puppy.
The two month old lab puppy is named Amani, meaning peace in Swahili, and he will live with the cheetahs 24/7. According to the animal care specialists supervising their introduction, eventually the cheetahs will see the puppy as one of their own, or part of their "coalition ". The dog will be a calming influence on the big cats insuring that they are relaxed enough to be taken into public.
The cheetah cubs are now part of the Dallas Zoo's Animal Adventures program designed to educate the public about highly endangered species. The traveling outreach program exposes audiences to 30 different animals including a variety of birds, mammals and reptiles. Cheetahs could use the exposure. With less than 10,000 cheetahs in the wild, it is extremely important to educate the public on the beauty of the cheetah and to inspire communities to help protect them.
