Russia's Leopard-Loving Dog
An easygoing dog from Central Asia has formed a close bond with a (rather less easygoing) African leopard inside a zoo in the Russian city of Vladivostok.
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Elza (left), a Central Asian sheepdog, playing with Milasha, an African leopard cub.
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Milasha was separated from her mother after the adult leopard abandoned her cubs while in captivity in the Sadgorod Zoo in Vladivostok.
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Milasha's keeper, Viktor Agafonov, says the zoo has no regrets over the decision to socialize little Milasha with Elza, despite the rather different temperaments of the two animals.
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Agafonov said in a recent interview that "Elza is a lovely dog, she likes to kiss, but the leopard likes to bite."
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Milasha is quite used to the company of dogs; the little leopard's "wet nurse" was a golden retriever.
![Agafonov said "the dog is very tolerant of the naughtiness of the young leopard; she tries to claw and bite [Elza]. It’s all play but she’s still a bit naughty."](https://gdb.rferl.org/8c04cb2c-3a88-4acb-9a36-70d406f3d08e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Agafonov said "the dog is very tolerant of the naughtiness of the young leopard; she tries to claw and bite [Elza]. It’s all play but she’s still a bit naughty."
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Elza is no stranger to (little) big cats and attention from the media.
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Elza has already served as an eager playmate for one of the zoo's tiger cubs and a small lion (pictured here in 2017).
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The zoo plans to introduce another leopard for Milasha, but until then Elza will be playing with her sharp-toothed little buddy. "They're real soulmates," said Agafonov.