COLUMBUS, Ohio — A labradoodle and golden doodle mix, typically known as a family pet for some, is an unlikely best friend to a pair of cheetah cubs at the Columbus Zoo.
The puppy named Campbell, or Camp for short, is paired with cheetah cubs Adrienne and Dave, who are naturally skittish animals and would rather flee than fight.
Camp, who gives the cheetah cubs the confidence they need, joins the other Labrador retrievers, Coby, Cash and Cullen, as the zoo’s other cheetah dogs.
In their native African habitat, cheetahs face threats from farmers who are trying to protect their livestock. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium works with several conservation groups, including the Cheetah Conservation Fund, to provide Anatolian shepherds as guard dogs to farmers.
These dogs act a deterrent to the skittish cheetahs, which protects the farmers’ livestock and cheetahs, too.
