While Blakely the Australian Shepherd is definitely a good dog, he isn’t exactly a regular one.
The six-year-old resident of the Cincinnati Zoo has earned the title “animal nanny” at the facility after doing an amazing job as a surrogate parent for orphaned baby animals. The bundles of joy he’s currently caring for are three one-month-old Malayan tiger cubs, Chira, Batari, and Izzy, after they were ignored by their mom.
They’ll be moved to the zoo’s “Cat Canyon” this summer after they receive their last round of immunizations, but in the meantime, Blakely will have the pleasure of being their foster dad and helping them learn important lessons.
He teaches them proper tiger etiquette by checking them when they’regetting too rough or aggressive,” said Dawn Strasser, head of CincinnatiZoo’s nursery staff. “This is something that their human surrogatescan’t do.”
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This sweetheart has also cared for cheetahs…
Facebook / Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
…an ocelot…
Facebook / Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
…a takin…
Facebook / Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
…a warthog, wallabies, skunks, and bat-eared foxes, too!
Facebook / Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
He’s helped out so much, in fact, that the city of Cincinnati decided to honor him by making October 19 Blakely Day!
(via USA Today and Cincinnati Zoo)
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