BHOPAL: When experts from Africa helped India launch Project Cheetah in MP’s Kuno National Park three years ago, they made one aspect clear: cheetahs generally “stay away from water”. Three years on, India-born cubs are defying that assumption. In a spectacular sight during the recent rains, some cheetah cubs, and even their Namibian-origin mother, were spotted swimming across the swollen Kuno river – overturning long-held beliefs and opening a new chapter in the ambitious reintroduction programme.At Kuno, officials confirmed that the ‘desi’ cubs are not only comfortable near rivers, but have also been observed crossing both 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,” said Uttam Sharma, field director of the Kuno project, adding: “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 rare. “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,” explained Kevin Leo-Smith, safari tour operator and board chairman of South Africa’s Meta population Initiative/Cheetah Meta population Project.In Mozambique, cheetahs stay clear of major rivers because of 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,” said Andy Fraser, wildlife veterinarian and board member of Meta population Initiative.In Africa, drowning deaths are not uncommon, as cheetahs are not considered strong swimmers. The shift in behaviour has thrilled experts, but is also 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,” said an officer. “The fact that India-born cubs are willingly taking to rivers and swimming shows that they are adapting in unexpected ways,” said Susan Yannetti, an American cheetah specialist.
