When the Cincinnati Zoo needs someone to look after any of their baby animals, they know just who to call: a 6-year-old Australian Shepherd named Blakely. The pup has been a nanny for baby ocelots, wallabies, cheetahs, a warthog, skunks, and bat-eared foxes. Now, he’s caring for three abandoned tiger cubs.
The three female cubs were born in early February. They were ignored by their mother, so the zookeepers began caring for them. The zookeepers are able to feed and look after the cubs, but they can’t teach them basic “tiger etiquette.” That’s where Blakely comes in.
Blakely is the adult in the room with the tiger cubs. He cuddles with them and gives them a warning when their roughhousing is getting too aggressive.
“We can’t teach them the difference between a play bite and one that means ‘watch out’. So, that’s Blakely’s job,” said the head of the Cincinnati Zoo’s nursery staff, Dawn Strasser, in a news release. “Just a little time with him at this early age will help them learn behaviors that will come in handy when they meet tigers at other zoos in the future.”
Blakely has been a wonderful teacher for the cubs, and thanks to his dedicated work, the tiger cubs will be able to move into the Cincinnati Zoo’s Cat Canyon this summer after they get their last immunizations. Then, Blakely will be ready to serve as a nanny for some more cute baby animals.
Check out the video on the next page to see adorable footage of Blakely and the tiger cubs playing together!
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