SukritiFriendship is a term used among humans but animals have been redefining its meaning every now and then. Our pets define friendship for most of us but what about wild animals? We all have heard stories of the wild becoming companions with humans but could it be because they don’t have anywhere else to go? It could also be as they’ve never been with their kind, born and brought up under human care might have made them behave the way that they do.
Today we’ve picked up the astonishing story of one of the wildest creatures and you’ll be amused to know what makes it different from rest of them and wait for the video!
A Zoologist
Dolph C. Volker, a 50-year-old zoologist is a native American. Dolph loves animals and that was the reason for him to choose zoology as his field of interest. When we tell you about his life that he chose for himself just because of his passion for wildlife, you’ll be able to understand his dedication towards his work in a better way.
A Choice Of Life
Dolph has been working as a volunteer at the Cheetah Experience Breeding Centre, Bloemfontein, South Africa for more than 4 years now. From the day he started volunteering in South Africa, he has managed to move back and forth between the two continents in weeks’ intervals or even months’ intervals, depending on the requirement.
Gabriel, The Cheetah
The Cheetah Experience Breeding Centre brought in an 8-months-old Cheetah in their observation. The cub was found abandoned in the jungle due to unknown reasons and the zoologists named him as ‘Gabriel’. They nurtured him so that he could grow and soon join other cheetahs in the jungle. However, Gabriel was different from other wild animals living in that shelter.
Just Another Cub
At Gabriel’s age, cubs slowly give up on their mother’s milk and start eating meat which their mother hunts. Gabriel was supposed to stay with his family for around 16 more months before he leaves his mother and siblings to move ahead. Sadly, the poor cub was separated from his family before he could learn basic cheetah skills. However, the first time he met Dolph, his life was about to change.
First Meeting
What happened when Gabriel was introduced to Dolph? Did they become friends in the first meeting? Or trying to get closer to the cub could be risky for Gabriel? “It takes a long time to reach an imprinting and bonding relationship with a wild animal. A wild predator. It started when Gabriel was a cub and I got to know him at eight months old,” Dolph told in an interview. There’s so much more to their story that’s surprising.
Social Animals
You are aware of the fact that cheetahs are the fastest species on our planet. Also, they are smaller compared to other wild cats species. What might leave you wondering is, cheetahs are not really a danger to humans as we are not a part of their appetite. This doesn’t mean you can go ahead and make friends with them either as cheetahs are wild cats and they can snap you down in less than a minute. So what happened next after Gabriel and Dolph met for the first time?