Ruuxa, a baby cheetah who lives at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, is recovering successfully after surgery on his two front legs, and his best friend Raina, a Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, has been by his side the entire time.
While Ruuxa was in surgery (due to a growth abnormality), Raina sat in the hospital room and waited patiently. After the surgery was finished, Raina waited for her friend to wake up, exhibiting signs of worry.
“Raina appeared very concerned about Ruuxa when she saw he was sleeping and she couldn’t wake him,” a trainer from the safari park said. “She licked him and nuzzled him, and when he awoke, she lay with him and seemed very content to know her cheetah was okay.”
The two best friends met after they were paired together at only five weeks of age, which is something safari parks and zoos routinely do to help normalize baby animals.
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