Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Bhavya Saini
Videos and pictures of different animals species coming together and supporting each other become viral on social media time and again. A 2016 video, shot in Canada, became viral assaw a polar bear petting a Husky dog lovingly as the two could be seen sharing a friendly bond. Yet researchers believe that the video was highly misinterpreted by netizens and the bear was merely “playing with his prey”. It was reported that the bear had killed another Husky in the same pack a week after the petting video went viral. Was the polar bear really searching for his food or is it our human tendency to label the wildlife as instinctively violent?
In recent years, zoos in USA’s San Diego and Ohio have partnered dogs with the wildlife cats, Cheetahs. This attempt has been made to ensure that Cheetahs learn and imitate more confident and confrontational behaviours from their playmates as they are naturally shy and non-confrontational animals. Rick Schwartz, the national spokesman for the San Diego Zoo in 2015 mentioned in an interview, “If they (Cheetahs) hear something in a bush making a noise, it could be a lion, so they’ll turn and walk away. . . . It might be a small bird in the bush, they don’t know. You pair them with a domestic dog — everyone they know is their best friend — and the dog walks ahead of them and oh, it’s just a noise. There’s a much greater chance of a cheetah showing confidence when they’re paired with these dogs.” These animals are grown together since their childhood in order to make them habitual to each other and somewhere along this journey, they become great friends.
Dogs have been serving as emotional support animals for a long time now as man’s best friend. As emotional support animals, they help their owners to cope up with the setbacks that come with illnesses. Not just abroad, but in India as well, patients to physical as well as mental health are advised to adopt a pet. Many people resorted to adopt a dog during the COVID-19 lockdown to cope up with the boredom and as well as to keep up with their mental health. These emotional support animals impact the well-being of their owners by providing them companionship, emotional support, routine, help in socialisation and release stress. But as it turns out, their friendly and happy-go-lucky nature can help other animal species just as well.
Another such instance has been noted at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio where Cheetahs and Dogs are paired together to teach the latter to be calm. Cheetahs are instinctively shy and become so anxious even to procreate. Thus, this behavioural technique becomes essentially to keep them from becoming extinct since their numbers are going down increasingly across countries. “When you pair them [cheetahs with dogs], the cheetah looks to the dog for cues and learns to model their behavior. It’s about getting them to read that calm, happy-go-lucky vibe from the dog,” Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor at San Diego Zoo Safari Park said in an interview. Coby, a labrador retriever dog, was euthanised on December 30, 2021 as his health was rapidly declining after eight years of serving his cat-campanions including cheetah cubs Bibi and Zemba. Coby also mentored his fellow dogs Cash and Cullen as he spent time playing with them – “Coby was also key in helping several other species at the zoo to socialise,” the zoo mentioned in a statement and further adding that he was “the go-to canine companion for sitting with animals who recently underwent surgery.”
Coby with his Cheetah friends at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Picture Credits: Newsweek.com
Last year in India, eight Cheetahs were brought in the country from Namibia at the Kuno National Park. It was reported that their arrival was marked seven decades after Cheetahs became extinct in India. Among the eight, five are females and three males – “This also turned out to be the world’s first inter-continental cheetah translocation project.” In order to ensure their protection from potential poachers, a German Shepherd dog named ‘Ilu’ was being trained at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force’s (ITBP) National National Training Centre along with other “super-sniffer dogs”. Ilu will be deployed at the Kuno National Park this April to fulfill her duties and ensure the safety of the big cats. The officials remarked, “There are scores of success stories where dogs have helped in the arrest of poachers and recoveries of wildlife species and their remains.”
The interdependence of animal species is a beautiful phenomenon to witness. However, most times humans tend to misinterpret and vilify the wildlife for their own interests. What we do not realise is that our constant intervention within their habitats with the rapid destruction of forests and increasing global warming disrupt their lifestyle and they are compelled to meddle in our world. Yet, many indigenous tribes attempt to protect the wildlife and prove to be their friends from another world. In the Netflix documentary titled ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ the relationship between an indigenous couple and an orphaned baby elephant is beautifully captured and portrayed for the world to reflect upon.
References
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-38050318
https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-pets-cheetahs-0316-20150318-story.html
https://wagwalking.com/daily/zookeepers-give-shy-cheetahs-therapy-dogs-relax
