Cheetah cubs paddle across river to reach their mom, video shows. ‘Amazing sighting’

A cheetah and her two cubs were seen paddling across a river in South Africa in an “extremely rare” moment, according to a game reserve.

In a video posted to Instagram by the Kariega Game Reserve on May 7, an adult cheetah can be seen swimming across Bushman’s River.

Once on the other side, she made a series of high-pitched calls.

Then, two cubs — both 4 months old — followed her lead and paddled across the river, the video showed.

Once all three animals had made it to the other side, they disappeared into the brush.

It was an “amazing sighting,” the reserve said in the post.

“Most African cat species are very hesitant to enter the water so this is extremely rare to witness, especially considering the age of the cubs,” the reserve added.

There are only an estimated 6,674 adult cheetahs left in the wild, according to the African Wildlife Foundation. Only about 5% of cubs survive to adulthood.

Habitat loss poses a major threat to the animals, as their ranges are depleted by about 2% per year, according to the organization.

Kariega is a private reserve about 460 miles east of Cape Town.

This story was originally published May 17, 2024 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Cheetah cubs paddle across river to reach their mom, video shows. ‘Amazing sighting’."