Cheetahs noticed swimming in rivers: Shift in behaviour thrills specialists; worries managers | Bhopal Information

BHOPAL: When specialists from Africa helped India launch Project Cheetah in MP’s Kuno National Park three years in the past, they made one facet clear: cheetahs usually “stay away from water”. Three years on, India-born cubs are defying that assumption. In a spectacular sight in the course of the current rains, some cheetah cubs, and even their Namibian-origin mom, had been noticed swimming throughout the swollen Kuno river – overturning long-held beliefs and opening a brand new chapter within the formidable reintroduction programme.At Kuno, officers confirmed that the ‘desi’ cubs usually are not solely comfy close to rivers, however have additionally been noticed crossing each the Kuno and the Chambal. “We have noticed the cubs swimming easily. Jwala, too, is believed to have swum across the Kuno river while moving with her cubs,” mentioned Uttam Sharma, discipline director of the Kuno mission, including: “Jwala, rescued near Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park this month after straying from Kuno National Park, had also swum across the Chambal river.“Scientists say this behaviour is uncommon. “Cheetahs in Botswana’s Okavango Delta cross floodplains that are seasonally within their territories, but these aren’t fast flowing. The same is true for lions and leopards that prefer to avoid water-crossing, if they can,” defined Kevin Leo-Smith, safari tour operator and board chairman of South Africa’s Meta inhabitants Initiative/Cheetah Meta inhabitants Project.In Mozambique, cheetahs keep away from main rivers due to predators. “The Zambezi River in Panyame is most certainly providing a natural barrier. If one of the cheetahs attempts to cross, it would mean certain death due to crocodile density,” mentioned Andy Fraser, wildlife veterinarian and board member of Meta inhabitants Initiative.In Africa, drowning deaths usually are not unusual, as cheetahs usually are not thought of robust swimmers. The shift in behaviour has thrilled specialists, however can be forcing managers to rethink.“At Kuno, the river was only about 200m wide. It is possible the cheetahs may attempt to swim across the Chambal in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary as well, so we have to be careful now,” mentioned an officer. “The fact that India-born cubs are willingly taking to rivers and swimming shows that they are adapting in unexpected ways,” mentioned Susan Yannetti, an American cheetah specialist.