The Babies
You may not believe it at first glance, but this sweet baby cheetah and adorable puppy are actually best friends. While it seems like a very unlikely situation, the two of them don't seem to notice their differences at all.
Here we have 10-week-old Emmett, a cheetah cub, and 7-week-old Cullen, a Labrador retriever. While in the wild these two would not be friends, in captivity they have managed to break all the rules! So how did this friendship begin?
The Strange Relationships
Nature can surprise us all with these strange relationships, but this story has a rather sad beginning. Little Emmett was left without his parents, so he was all alone and in danger of losing his life.
Thankfully, he was rescued and sent to a sanctuary. But the baby cheetah was in need of an adoptive family or at least a friend. Here’s where this cute puppy steps in…
Endangered Species
Before we learn more about Emmett and Cullen, let’s check a few facts about cheetahs. Unfortunately, there are less than 7,000 cheetahs in the wild. Compared to 1900, there was a 90% drop!
This means every little cheetah cub must be saved if they risk dying. Moreover, in the wild, only 5% of the cheetah cubs become adults. Emmett’s odds of surviving were close to 0%!
No Chance of Survival
Emmett was one of those cubs whose chances of survival were zero. His parents didn’t want to care for him and with no mom around to keep him warm and nurtured, Emmett wasn’t going to make it on his own.
However, animal rescuers weren’t going to give up on this cheetah cub, so they became his adoptive family. Let’s see his story…
Hand Reared at the Safari Park
Little Emmett was born at Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio, a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center. When they saw little Emmett was abandoned by his parents, they decided to hand rear him.
However, the volunteers at the game reserve encountered various problems. The baby cheetah was sick and he needed medical help right away!
Fragile Cubs
Although cheetahs are fierce predators, as babies they need protection from their moms. When they’re moms, cheetahs live with their offspring in home ranges and prefer to be solitary when they don’t have cubs.
Males might be territorial, but they form coalitions. Most likely, they’re brothers and remain together to protect their territory. Little Emmett was slowly getting better, but he needed a littermate if having a mother wasn’t possible…
The Beginning
Emmett was desperately in need of a companion after he was diagnosed and treated for his pneumonia. The tiny cub wasn’t doing so well and needed to be hand-reared.
That’s how he later found himself a new friend that would stay by his side in those critical moments. Slide next to see some super cute pictures.
The Star of the Zoo
“Emmett was born at the Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio and was hand-reared while being treated for pneumonia for several weeks,” the Zoo wrote on their Facebook page.
“He then came to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and picked Cullen to be his companion dog", they added. As all cubs, Emmett was the star of the zoo, but once people learned about his friendship, their story got viral!
A New Technique
Apparently, the San Diego Zoo resorted to a special type of technique that became popular back in the 1980s.
The technique was simple: it found that using puppies helped to keep cheetahs calm during trying times. So the Columbus Zoo decided to try it out.
Nervous Wreck
Poor Emmett was a nervous wreck and the pneumonia wasn't helping. He desperately needed someone around that would calm his nerves.
But fortunately, just when he was in desperate need for help, that's when the hero of our story, Cullen, came into the picture.
A Companion Puppy
Cullen was soon introduced to Emmett in hopes that he would help Emmett “be more confident and calm”, in the zookeepers' words.
The puppy was actually provided to the zoo by The Wilds, the conservation project that had previously sent Emmett to the zoo.
He Got Inside Emmett’s Enclosure
Cullen got inside the enclosure where Emmett was living and that’s how they first met. The two were a bit curious and began sniffing each other.
The staff was watching them, hoping the cheetah cub would accept the pooch as his friend… So did the caretakers’ plan work?
The Method
“If you place the puppy with the cubs, then pretty soon the cubs don’t realize —they think it’s their brother, their sister”, Suzi Rapp, the Animals Program Director at the Columbus Zoo told CBS News.
It was time to see how great the plan was working in Emmet’s case. We must warn you, the following photos are incredible!
Confident Cheetahs
“What I’ve learned is that we want our cheetahs to have all the confidence in the world,” she said. “And we know we can’t give it to them, but we know the dogs can.”
These two best friends still live together and you won’t believe how cute they look now that they’re adults...
An Incredible Friendship
The two best buddies have had a lot of fun together, right from the very first moments when they met. The inquisitive cheetah cub hopped around and Cullen was very happy to have a playmate as well!
Emmet and Cullen’s story is truly incredible and everyone was in awe when they saw the next scenes. Are you ready?
Unlikely Friends
In the wilds, there’s no such thing as a friendship between a cheetah and a dog. Cheetahs are large, they’re predators and very territorials. But Emmett thought Cullen was his sibling, which is why they got along very well.
Would this friendship last when they become adults? Will Emmett’s instincts kick in? Let’s see what happened when the caretakers at the zoo tried to separate them.
Separating the Two Friends
The first day was a success! Emmett and Cullen played and ran around for a few hours, and then they napped together in the enclosure.
However, when it was time for them to say goodbye that night, baby Emmett began crying and pacing, looking for his friend!
Inseparable from the First Day
Believe it or not, Cullen and Emmett bonded that first day that they became inseparable! It was heartbreaking for the baby cheetah to say goodbye.
Therefore, the zookeepers decided the two had to remain together that night. Weeks passed and the caretakers were expecting another problem to arise…
Will This Last More than a Few Months?
The problem the caretakers at the zoo had was that Emmett was going to become an adult cheetah and he may be dangerous and aggressive to the pooch.
They were friends now, as babies, but will this friendship last as the two got larger, especially when Emmett outgrew Cullen? That’s why the story between the two cute babies got viral, stunning the entire world!
Animal Experts Studied this Relationship
Experts looked at how the two babies interacted as weeks passed, making sure everything was all right. As they grew, Emmet gained the confidence he needed to strive thanks to Cullen.
It was increasingly clear that he was going to depend on Cullen for guidance, even though he was a predator in the making…
Sharing Their Life
Emmett and Cullen kept playing, sleeping and running together for months and now as adults, they’re still friends! Their play sessions got a bit rough, in fact.
However, Emmett was always careful to keep his claws away from his best friend! The two are the stars of the zoo and people began traveling to Ohio to see them!
Cute and Funny
These side-by-side photos are adorable, even though we see the two friends all grown up! The caretakers said that the two buddies are doing great together.
As a baby, Emmett lost all the races, but it is now clear that Cullen is the one losing the races. As all patient and sweet Labradors, Cullen doesn’t mind being the loser, and he loves fooling around with his cheetah pal!
Emmett's Future
The zoo sees a ton of potential for Emmett and wants him to eventually become the ambassador for the wild cheetahs.
For this to work, Emmett must grow up to be a calm and confident adult dog. All of this is to help cheetah conservation...
Endangered
Although they are the world's fastest feline, cheetahs haven't been able to outrun the fact that they are an endangered species.
This is why the partnership between conservationists and farmers to help provide cheetahs with emotional support is so important.
Big Exhibit
The Columbus Zoo, for example, gets tons of visitors thanks to their “Heart of Africa” exhibit. At the exhibit is the combination of cheetah and Labrador retriever that gets the most attention.
It’s something that you just don’t see very often. You won’t believe how much the whole thing costs...
Big Question
“The number one question up here, this $40 million exhibit: ‘Are the dogs coming out?’ It’s the number one question,” said Suzi Rapp, who runs the animal program.
"And I say the Columbus Zoo built the world's most expensive Labrador retriever exhibit in the world... the biggest dog run," they added.
Many Others
There are many other dog and cheetah friends at the zoo besides Emmett and Cullen and we must say that they’re adorable. Check them out in photo below!
One great example is a cheetah named Keyara who needed to get leg surgery. A Labrador named Coby was there to comfort her through the whole ordeal.
Doing Better
"Without him, I don't know that we could have pulled this off. She will be fantastic. She will do great", Rapp said in an interview.
Rapp also explained that they wouldn't have achieved such progress if it hadn't been for the dog and his enormous help.
Life-Saving
Placing the cats and dogs on display for everyone to see is another big part of the conservation act. People are now able to see just how important the dogs are to the cat's well-being.
This fact, however, is only just starting to spread throughout the U.S. A lot has to be done in terms of raising awareness.
Saving Cheetahs
“How they are saving cheetahs is not by being their friend,” Rapp said. “There’s a specific dog in Africa that is actually saving the cheetahs and it’s called the Anatolian Shepherd.”
The Anatolian Shepherd has a long history in Africa and has been used to help preserve the lives of many cheetahs.
Big Bark
“You may see in history that this dog can be responsible for saving the cheetah from extinction. That is one heck of a story right there,” Hanna said.
Since the dog is pretty big with a loud bark, many farmers have used them to keep cheetahs off of their lands. This keeps the farmers from having to shoot at the cheetahs.
Informing
Overall, the workers and volunteers at the zoo all hope to really inform the public about their conservation efforts, and this is a cause that we should all endorse by spreading the word.
They zoo hopes that their hard work will not go in vain and that the cheetah will finally be saved from extinction. Fingers crossed!
Sweet Friends
In the meantime, visitors who come to the zoo get to witness the lovely interactions between cats and dogs. Believe me when I tell you that you should see it for yourself.
I think this is pretty clear by now, but let me say it again: this bond is one of the cutest friendships you'll ever see!
Saving His Life
Aside from the rescuers and caretakers that took good care of little Emmett, Cullen’s mission of helping the baby cheetah with companionship, guidance and support was essential.
Basically, Cullen saved Emmett’s life and their relationship is as strong as it was in the first few days, and it's likely this will never change.
Bringing Them Together
You can see that bringing together a sweet pup like Cullen with a baby cheetah in need of a friend was yet another successful mission in saving the cheetah species.
We’re happy Emmett is healthy and happy with Cullen by his side! Now, let's be honest: wasn't this the cutest story ever?