Will It Be A Blood Bath?
Born as a weak one, a cheetah cub was taken out from his family and fostered by the caretakers of a zoo. To keep up with the incredible strength that his siblings already got, he was given more attention. Sadly, he couldn't return home and get along with other cubs, so for him not to feel lonely, his caretakers decided to introduce him to a friend. However, that solution led to some unforeseen outcomes.
When a puppy was introduced to the cub, everyone hoped that the two would get along. That was exactly the plan. However, the moment a puppy was thrown into the cheetah case, everyone realized they might have made a mistake. What happened next left everyone horrified.
Vulnerable Cheetahs
Even if cheetahs are known to be skillful and fast predators, they also have their soft sides beneath their strong personalities. Cheetahs are also proclaimed to be vulnerable. Not all cubs survive the wild, especially in a coalition. It cannot be helped that along the way a few cheetahs will not survive.
Our story starts with a baby cub named Kumbali. He is the smallest among his brothers and sisters, but this did not stop his feistiness from playing and goofing around. He has a great personality, and he will be meeting a special friend soon.
The Cheetah Cub
Some of the cheetahs can be seen in the wild and some of them can also be seen in zoos. One of them that you can see in the zoo was Kumbali. Kumbali is a cheetah cub at the Metro Richmond Zoo, a privately owned, for-profit zoo, and is located in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Kumbali was born the frailest among his siblings. He was born so weak that he cannot fight for his food because he has gotten the slowest edge among them.
An Outcast
In his fight to survive and keep up with his siblings, Kumbali has experienced getting hurt. And because he cannot fight to get his food, it resulted in him losing weight. Kumbali has become weaker and weaker every day as he struggled a lot to maintain his place among his siblings.
Eventually, he has felt like an outcast from his own family. But even when he’s already weak, he was still trying his best to not lose track between his siblings.
Decisive Measures
Upon seeing the situation of Kumbali, the zookeepers have taken decisive measures to save him from his misery. If it wasn't for the help of the zookeepers, Kumbali could sooner or later die. They understand that Kumbali’s life was hanging by the thread so they decided to take him away from his mother.
They have grown very concerned about the condition of the cheetah cub and they gave him bottle-fed so he doesn’t need to fight for his food anymore.
Regained Strength
The zookeepers have given Kumbali huge care and attention. As time went by, Kumbali regained his strength and he was now able to eat on his own. The zookeepers were very happy to see the fast recovery of Kumbali and they were so proud of him because he was already capable of doing things independently.
With this great news, the zookeepers then planned to return Kumbali into his family’s enclosure. However, it was not the outcome they expected.
Rejection
Unfortunately, Kumbali’s return to his original home didn’t turn out well. His family sees him as a stranger knowing that he hadn’t been with them for an extended period. His family would not accept him even though he is already strong and can get along with them.
Despite being physically healthy and active, his family still treated him as if he was missing something. This was a difficult situation for Kumbali.
Suffering from Loneliness
Kumbali felt abandoned and depressed from the way his family treated and sees him be. He felt that the home from where he came from doesn’t feel like home anymore. It was indeed painful for him to accept the rejection. Zookeepers had observed him lying and staring into space all the time.
He was definitely suffering from loneliness. Having a hard time coping with the situation, Kumbali has been acting restlessly and is in real need of emotional support.
Finding a Companion
Seeing Kumbali suffering from loneliness, the caretakers of the zoo could no longer endure the heartbreaking sight of witnessing how the rejection had greatly affected the cheetah cub. They came to the rescue again to help Kumbali overcome his depressing moments.
They have decided to find a companion for Kumbali. At first, it gave them a hard time finding one because they had taken a lot of considerations to find the perfect ally for the cub.
The Rescued Puppy
Even if the caretakers have had a challenging time in finding a companion for Kumbali, they still managed to find the ideal friend for him and it was the rescued puppy, Kago. Kago was adopted from an animal shelter and was saved from being put down. At such a young age, Kago has already gone through many hardships because he had been kept in dire conditions in a shelter where there was no future for dogs.
Thankfully, animal rights activists discovered the place, gave every dog new shelter, and started looking for new owners. That’s how the zoo caretakers found Kago.
Perfect Role of Kumbali’s Companion
Kago fitted the perfect role of Kumbali’s companion. He was a playful puppy and is the same age as Kumbali. However, the zookeepers do not know if the two would get on well with each other or even see each other as allies.
They weren’t sure if Kago and Kumbali would become friends or if nothing good will come out of it at all because they believed that new neighbors don’t always get along. Thus, the zookeepers still hope for the best result of their intentional move.
First Meeting of Kago and Kumbali
As they prepare Kago for its first meeting with Kumbali, the zoo caretakers are very delighted about how the two would react to each other. After setting up everything, they came to lead Kago to meet Kumbali. The first meeting between Kago and Kumbali was really exciting.
When they saw each other, the two were quite timid because they came to meet a stranger. Kago and Kumbali might have had a lot of questions running in their minds about who the other could be.
Apprehension and Certain Distrust
Kago and Kumbali looked at each other with apprehension and certain distrust. This is because they are looking at an unfamiliar face and they are curious what the other creature is doing in the same place as them.
It is already natural for the animals to feel territorial of their place especially when they are being visited by another animal. For Kago and Kumbali, they might be still taking some time to adapt to their current location with the presence of each other.
Kago Liked Kumbali
After some time, a miracle happened when Kago came towards Kumbali. Kago sniffled Kumbali and it was the time when the zoo caretakers knew that Kago liked Kumbali. Kago’s sniffles to Kumbali only meant that he was saying hello to him and he wanted to learn who Kumbali could be.
The zoo caretakers then noticed that Kago had easily adjusted to his current situation and turned back to becoming a playful dog as he mingled with Kumbali.
Kumbali was Confused
Kago started pouncing and biting Kumbali as a way of wanting the cheetah cub to be friends with him. Kumbali, in response to Kago’s playful side, was confused about how Kago acts. He couldn’t understand what was happening and why the dog kept on dragging his tail with its teeth.
He was baffled by the sight of the new creature because he was used to being alone. As Kumbali continued to learn about Kago, he also began to show interest in the dog.
Became Great Companions
As the two come to fully familiarize each other, they start playing and socializing. Previously, looking at the possibility of having a cheetah and a dog in contact, the zookeepers expected the worst to happen.
They anticipated that the little puppy would just be defenseless as he faces the monstrous predator. Nevertheless, it was such a vision of loveliness to see Kago and Kumbali become great companions.
The Friendship No One Imagined
Things aren’t always what they seem to be. Kago and Kumbali built a friendship that no one ever imagined. The two didn’t only live for the process of cohabitation but they have created a unique kind of friendship that ever existed.
Truly, dogs aren’t just good companions to humans but their fellow animals as well. Dogs are great at getting along even with the predators that other animals fear to be with.
Bond Growing Stronger
Kumbali, who was once a nervous cub, has transformed into a cheerful pet that trusts people, just like a dog does. He was brought by the influence of Kago who is also a cheerful pet. The two have their bond grow stronger and stronger every day and have grown to live with each other on their side.
They have also emerged to become kind and became each other’s best of friends. Even if there are times that they got to be separated for a long time, they can still always recognize each other.
Kago and Kumbali’s Great Personalities
Kago grew up to be protective of his wild brother while Kumbali grew up to be compassionate and kind to Kago as well. Kumbali lets his friend eat first while he patiently waits for his turn. The two are identified to become different species but they grew up to have nurtured great personalities.
Even if they came from different kinds of environments, the two are fated to become the companion of each other. Zoo visitors are even astonished about the kind of friendship that Kago and Kumbali have.
Zoo Visitors Surprise
They would always play together all day long. They would even invent new games for them to enjoy. Their games of hide-and-seek and tag were the ones that the zoo visitors enjoyed the most. They were unaware that they were in a zoo and they paid no attention to people at all because they were busy playing and enjoying each other’s company.
Kago and Kumbali became inseparable. They refused to leave each other’s side and they would always like to be put in the same enclosure together.
Became Inseparable
They also like to sleep together and they are fond of giving hugs to each other all the time. From their first encounter, the two have been doing almost everything together - from sleeping to eating and playing in the fresh air during daytime up to the setting of the sun.
The zookeepers have given Kago and Kumbali the same birthdays. Every year, the zookeepers would always give them presents on their birthdays. Kago and Kumbali also opened their gifts together.
Same Birthdays
In the several years that the two spent together, their relationship developed into something more than just friendship. The two have treated each other as brothers because of the deep and meaningful friendship that they have created.
Their special bond has made them even friendlier to others. They have become eager to meet new inhabitants of the zoo and they were also generous to the people who are visiting the zoo.
Special Bond
Watching the happy buddies gave people true pleasure because their bond was just something exceptional. They have also become the informal face of the zoo because they have become known for their remarkable friendship.
Not so long ago, Kago and Kumbali were introduced to their new neighbors. A new group of tough guys, which are penguins, and a little pig. Initially, they watched each other with apprehension but when Kago and Kumbali came to visit them, penguins pecked at the two buddies but ended up playing with each other. The pig was the one that gets on the couple’s nerves the most but they still try to bond happily with their new neighbors.
Tender Relationship
It has been quite a while now that the two have been living in the same enclosure and enjoying doing things together every new day. The two have become great entertainers to the visitors of the zoo as they greet them with their playful races and cute hugs.
Their tender relationship was the one that attracted the visitors the most. Kago and Kumbali have proven that even different species of animals can get along well. The great friendship that Kago and Kumbali have has formed an incredibly strong bond of friendship that most of us would want to have.
Great Friendship
It may be unusual for us, humans, to attest to this kind of friendship that Kago and Kumbali have but it is still certain that we’ve got something to learn from them. The friendship that the two have is a great reflection that even if we are all coming from different races, ages, and cultures, a true friend will wholeheartedly accept you for who you are.
Being weak in a world where you are surrounded by strong forces will give you a feeling of being an outcast. Who do you turn to when you are being rejected by your own blood? Who do you run to when nothing feels like home? We all seek someone who we can lean on. We all want to feel loved and appreciated. We all try to find a great companion. Deeply truthful to our story is the saying that says “A friend in need is a friend indeed”.