On July 7, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed a brand new cheetah cub, Kris. Kris was the single survivor of a litter of three born to first-time mom Neena in the zoo's cheetah breeding facility in Clermont County.
Neena was not receiving enough stimulation from the single cub to produce an adequate supply of milk so the neonate care staff stepped in to assist and called up 9-year-old Australian shepherd Blakely, the zoo's former dog nanny who retired in 2017, to work with the cub and help teach it animal basics.
Luckily for Blakely, the zoo has found a new puppy companion for Kris so he can go back to crosswords, sudoku and 4:30 p.m. dinners after a short quarantine period.
But until that time, Blakely has the #blessed job of keeping cutie Kris company and giving her some TLC while she learns "etiquette and...some of the social responsibilities, like snuggling, playing and disciplining, that would typically be performed by a mother," says the zoo. They also report that Kris is healthy, active and "somewhat sassy," just like another former zoo baby we know.
And, thankfully, like any reasonable human with a baby animal and also a camera, the zoo has been recording some pretty adorable moments as Kris, who will eventually serve as a Cat Ambassador, grows up.
Here are some of the cutest:
Dog nanny Blakely coming out of retirement to cuddle with Kris
Kris kissing Blakely
Kris learns to bowl
Teeny, tiny zoomies
Kris climbing on a handler and getting food on her lil' snoot
Kris exploring her new space
Cheetahs are currently an endangered animal, with an estimated population of 9,000 to 12,000 worldwide. The Cincinnati Zoo is one of nine institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help create a sustainable cheetah population through breeding. The goal is to "create a sustainable cheetah population that will prevent extinction of the world’s fastest land animal." The zoo says 44 of the cubs born at its facility have become ambassadors and/or members of the AZA’s managed breeding population.
The Cincinnati Zoo is located at 3400 Vine St., Avondale.
