The original case of companion dogs for cheetahs was also a way to help an orphaned cheetah have a healthier life. He would have been alone otherwise, Dr Laurie Marker figured this out as a way to give him the companionship he would have had in better circumstances

She also figured out how to teach him to hunt, which was a big step for captive breeding of cheetahs as a tool in rewilding and maintaining genetic diversity