Keepers have sought help from an unlikely source in their continued efforts to hand-raise a Cheetah cub born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo earlier this year.

 Cheetah cub ‘Rozi’, a name that means rose and a symbol of joy in Swahili, was born on 22 February 2025 via emergency caesarian section after her mum Siri went into premature labour. Siri made a complete recovery, but did not produce any milk. Due to Rozi’s complex health needs it was not possible to reunite the pair. 

After months of intensive care at the Zoo's Wildlife Hospital, Rozi has settled into her new home behind the scenes at the Cheetah breeding facility, alongside a furry friend of her own – a labrador-cross-kelpie-cross-collie named Ziggy.

We started to introduce Rozi and Ziggy when they were both a little over two months old and at first Ziggy was quite boisterous and excited to have a new little play mate,” said Cheetah (and puppy) Keeper Jordan Michelmore. “Rozi doesn’t have any Cheetah siblings and Cheetah cubs normally play together, chase, pounce, groom and stalk each other. All of these behaviours are key milestones for a growing Cheetah cub to learn. 

“The pair have now become best friends and it’s been beautiful to watch their relationship develop. Through it, Rozi is able to develop those same behaviors with Ziggy that she would otherwise have done with real siblings. So Ziggy is providing that sort of pseudo-sibling relationship for her.”

It’s not the first time Zookeepers in Dubbo have looked to ‘man’s best friend’ to help raise a Cheetah cub. Rozi’s mum Siri was also a singleton cub and was hand-raised alongside a retriever-cross-mastiff puppy named Iris back in 2015. Female Cheetah cubs spend the first 12-18 months of life with their mother and siblings before dispersing, and this was replicated with Siri and Iris. 

The early relationship proved crucial not only for Siri’s welfare, but in preparing her to fulfil her potential as part of the regional breeding program for this vulnerable species. 

“We did find with Siri, when we started putting her in with males, she had that confidence, she had that resilience and she had that socialisation that really improved her breeding behaviours,” Jordan said. 

“It does truly feel full circle now that Siri has had a cub, beautiful Rozi, and now Rozi’s been introduced to a puppy as well.” At around 12-18 months old, Rozi will also be ready to disperse from her family and live on her own. She will eventually also have the opportunity to have cubs of her own. 

Ziggy won’t live at the Zoo forever and Keepers are mindful of their duty to prepare him for life after his role as a Cheetah Companion Dog, when he will be adopted by a member of the Zoo family. 

“Rozi has really, really valuable and important genetics and will hopefully play a part in our breeding program in the future,” Jordan said. “With Ziggy, we are trying to raise him to be a well-rounded, socialised, confident, independent dog but he's also got a really important job to do - he's helping Rozi develop. “He truly does seem like the best dog for the job.” 

Cheetahs are classified as vulnerable in the wild with fewer than 7,000 mature individuals remaining. Wild populations continue to decline due to human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation, poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking. Cheetah are also notoriously difficult to breed, so every birth is extremely valuable to the global population. 

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is part of the international Cheetah breeding program, and the first Australasian zoo to breed the species. Taronga is not for profit. Every dollar you spend has the Power to Protect. Whether you visit, stay overnight, donate, become a Zoo Friend or Zoo Parent, book an unforgettable behind-the-scenes experience or buy a gift for a loved one, every dollar helps save wildlife.