A cheetah named Kumbali was born in a Virginia zoo. The baby was small and weak. He did not get enough attention from his mother Hatari, and he could not compete with his stronger brothers and sisters on his own. Therefore, Kumbali was often left hungry while feeding.
The zookeepers noticed that the baby was growing poorly and was not gaining weight. Over time he became weak and stopped playing. The other babies were hurting him. Kumbali was growing weaker and weaker every day, and without help his life could soon be cut short.
The caretakers took Kumbali away from his mother, put him in a separate enclosure, and began feeding him. People took care of the cheetah and played with it. The baby began to gain weight and grow. He became playful and cheerful. When Kumbali finally recovered and caught up to the height and weight of his congeners, he was returned to the enclosure with the other cheetahs, hoping that there would be no more disagreements between the little ones.
Unfortunately, both his mother and siblings were used to living without Kumbali and simply did not accept him into the family. The baby was once again isolated and very sad. The staff realized that he needed a friend with whom he could feel equal.
Cheetahs are social animals, and their lack of companionship makes them physically ill. To prevent Kumbali from literally dying of boredom, they decided to introduce him to another lonely animal. The puppy named Cago used to live in a shelter, but the staff mistreated their charges and the shelter closed.
Kumbali was allocated a separate enclosure, and soon Cago was placed there as well. The cheetah was very surprised and immediately distrustful of the puppy, who, on the contrary, showed every effort to meet him and tried to get acquainted.
Puppies get acquainted in a rather unusual way: they sit down, jump up and run towards the object of their interest, wagging their tail. That’s how Cago went to get acquainted with Kumbali, and the latter could not resist the persistent baby. The animals immediately became friends and soon played merrily with each other.
Kumbali and Cago soon become best friends. They spend all their time playing together. They eat and sleep together, too.
