Leopard attacks guide in Kruger Park
Jul 3, 2015 | 12:10 pm
#1
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Leopard attacks guide in Kruger Park
"Suddenly the leopard leapt and grabbed his arm, trying to jump into the vehicle"
Source
If the picture is anything to go by, that was a rather painful experience.
Given that the incident occurred on the H4-1, it would not at all surprise me if that leopard was stressed, harassed and surrounded by any number of vehicles.
Johan
Source
If the picture is anything to go by, that was a rather painful experience.
Given that the incident occurred on the H4-1, it would not at all surprise me if that leopard was stressed, harassed and surrounded by any number of vehicles.
Johan
Jul 5, 2015 | 4:06 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 306
Ask yourself, do you honestly think someone just puts their arm out in front of a leopard for no apparent reason? I think safari guides are a little more intelligent than that. The leopard was about to or in the process of jumping in the vehicle and the guide did what he had to avoid that to protect himself and the guests. I am fairly confident that when the report comes out the guide and company will be vindicated in their actions.
Jul 6, 2015 | 2:38 am
#4
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There was a similar incident a few years ago near Nsemani. In that instance the leopard, harassed and hemmed in by cars, jumped into an open game viewing vehicle and bit/clawed the driver on the leg.
Johan
Johan
Jul 7, 2015 | 3:31 am
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Always? Yeah, right!
Have you ever heard of man-eating lions and leopards? I won't even mention crocodiles and pythons.
"There was horror in Kariba yesterday when a couple that was allegedly enjoying Adam and Eves fruit of nature in the bush got attacked by a jealous lion.
According to sources who spoke to My Zimbabwe, Daniel Muzarabani and his girlfriend, indentified as Sharai Mawera, were having sex in a bushy area situated in Mahombekombe suburb when a lion pounced on them.
Unfortunately the woman, who was also known as Mai Desire, was mauled to death by the lion, but her boyfriend managed to escape naked, only wearing a condom. The two were having their quality time near Mahombekombe Primary School, said a reliable source.
After realizing the presence of the deadly wild animal in the midst of their alleged love nest, the nude survivor is said to have escaped for dear life while leaving his female counterpart behind.
Another source who claimed to know the two very well told the My Zimbabwe news crew that the man was naked since it was very hot.
He is a fisherman and he used to meet so often at the same spot with his girlfriend who is now deceased. His girlfriend, Mai Desire, was a vendor and the two were romping when the incident occurred. In fact, they were doing it sideways. The lion came from behind and roared. The guy managed to escape before stopping at a distance, from where he witnessed his companion being attacked. He later rushed to the road seeking help.
The man is said to have been ignored by motorists and members of the public who initially thought he was mad since he was naked and wearing a condom.
Later on, people heard his plea and accompanied him to the police, where he reported the matter. Cops and officers from Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority attended the scene and fired a single shot before getting to the spot. The woman had already been killed. She had bloody bruises all over her body. Her neck and tummy had been mauled.
Members of an apostolic sect who worship near the area where the tragedy occurred reportedly took to their heels amid claims that they saw seven lions in the area.
Meanwhile, at around 10 a.m., remains of another man who is yet to be identified were also discovered near ZESA social club. My Zimbabwe is reliably informed that the unidentified man was attacked and killed by lions the day before yesterday and residents of the town are now living in fear since the lions are still roaming freely.
There were also reports that another Kariba man, only identified as Musinje, was attacked to death by lions while coming from a Night Club this week. His remains are said to have been found yesterday at 6 p.m. together with the empty beer container that he was carrying when he got fatally mauled by vicious lions."
and
"The leopard that attacked six Northern Province villagers in Huntington village near Hazyview on Wednesday was in a healthy condition, but had not eaten for four or five days before the attack, the state veterinarian at the Kruger National Park, Dr Dewald Keet, said on Friday.
The young male cat had been rejected from its mothers territory, he said. I suspect that the leopard was afraid to face the world alone and to have to fight a bigger male leopard for territory.
The leopard attacked two brothers cycling to work at Sabi Sabi game reserve and then leapt onto a bakkie that stopped to investigate the abandoned bicycles. The driver of the bakkie, Tinos Mkansi, 49, managed to stab the leopard to death with a screwdriver after a 20-minute fight, but not before it bit his left arm and injured three other people in the back of the vehicle.
Dr Keet praised the men for being able to survive the attack. These people were so brave, its an amazing achievement. In fact I never heard of anything like it before, he said.
Nelspruit Private Hospital spokesperson Elsabe Coetzee said that one of the cyclists, Santos Chauke, 31, had not lost his eyes, as his brother, Reason Chauke, 28, first reported. But his eyes are so swollen you cant even see them and I think he can hardly see at all, she said.
Reason Chauke and Mkansi are in a satisfactory condition at Matikwane Hospital near Hazyview, as is another bakkie passenger, Lawrence Sihlangu, who was bitten on his face, neck and torso. Two other bakkie passengers were treated for scratches and small bite wounds before being released
Two brothers, Reason and Santos Chauke, were riding their bicycles to work through a bushy path at the Sabie Sabie game park. After riding through a donga named `Mletshana', they heard a leopard growl. When they turned they saw it creeping up on them from behind a tree about five meters away.
As the animal advanced, Santos got off his bike and lifted it into the air, and tried to use it as a shield to ward off the animal.
Reason Chauke, who is recuperating from his wounds at the Matikwane hospital in Hazeyview, related the story to City Press.
"The animal just rode all over him. It threw him to the ground and started eating away at his face. I groped around frantically for stones and threw them at the leopard. It then left my brother and came for me. It sank its teeth into both my shoulders,'' he said.
The animal bit him on the top of the head, and as the blood gushed out, it sat down to suck it out.
"I was screaming wildly at my brother, asking him to help. I told him where to find a small knife I always carry around. Although he was injured, he found the knife and tried to stab the leopard. He managed to stab it in the eye. Whenever I tried to move, the animal seemed to become angrier and sank its teeth deeper. When it got angry with my brother trying to stab it, it left me and went for him again,'' Reason said.
The hero of the day, Tinos Mkansi, then appeared on the scene, at that moment, on his daily run to Sabie Sabie, where he shuttles workers to and from work in his bakkie.
Mkansi saw the bikes and the blood. He recognized the bikes and stopped his bakkie. As he did, the leopard reappeared on the scene, having abandoned the Chauke brothers .
The leopard leapt onto the bonnet of the vehicle, flew past the windscreen and dived for the six passengers at the back. They scattered and fled in all directions, except Lawrence Sihlangu, (30), a married father of three. Speaking from his hospital bed, Sihlangu said: ``I honestly did not see it coming. The only thing I remember was the leopard was there already, at the back of the van, grabbing me and dragging me onto the ground. Mkansi saved my life. ''
The leopard grabbed him and yanked him off the bakkie and pulled him onto the ground, sinking its teeth into his right foot. He cried out for help just as Mkansi, armed with a screwdriver, jumped out of his bakkie and came to the rescue.
He threw himself on the back of the animal, riding it horse style, and started stabbing it.
The animal let go of Sihlangu and concentrated on Mkansi. Sihlangu, limping and bleeding, threw some stones at the animal, but did not seem to hurt it at all.
As the fight to the death raged between men and beast, the leopard kept switching its attention between Mkansi and Sihlangu.
"As it attacked Sihlangu, I would try and fight it, and then it would leave him and come for me, and Sihlangu would try and fight it. In the end I just got onto its back. I asked Sihlangu to help me by pressing down its rear legs but to be very, very careful,'' Mkansi said.
"At the same time I held it down, carefully not to allow it to get its claws into me I know it could kill me with only its claws. Somehow, it managed to turn its head and grab my left arm. I could only use one hand now. I screamed at the other people to pass me stones. The first stone I forced into the leopard's mouth, but it managed to spew it out. I took the second one and this one got stuck in its mouth. Then I continued stabbing it with the screwdriver until I felt its strength sap and sap away. Then it died.'' Mkansi said.
All this time the badly-injured Chauke brothers were watching the action from a distance. They crawled closer, dripping with blood.
Mkansi's heroism did not end there. Using only one hand while the other bled profusely, he drove all the injured to a game reserve nearby where help was summoned.
Santos Chauke is in intensive care at a private hospital in Nelspruit with serious facial injuries, while his brother Reason, Mkansi and Sihlangu are recuperating well at the Matikwane hospital.
Tinos's brother Elmon Mkansi (51), said: "My brother is a very brave man. He was also probably sent by God to be there at that moment. Minutes before the attack on the Chaukes, three people were almost mauled by the same leopard. The first two were travelling on foot and ran for their lives when they heard it growl. It ignored them - why I don't know. At about the same time, one man rode past on a bicycle, heard it growl, saw it and rode away as fast as he could. Still, it ignored him.
"But when the Chaukes appeared on the scene immediately afterwards, it decided this time it was going to have a meal. By luck, sheer luck, Tinos arrived on the scene." "
Johan
Have you ever heard of man-eating lions and leopards? I won't even mention crocodiles and pythons.
"There was horror in Kariba yesterday when a couple that was allegedly enjoying Adam and Eves fruit of nature in the bush got attacked by a jealous lion.
According to sources who spoke to My Zimbabwe, Daniel Muzarabani and his girlfriend, indentified as Sharai Mawera, were having sex in a bushy area situated in Mahombekombe suburb when a lion pounced on them.
Unfortunately the woman, who was also known as Mai Desire, was mauled to death by the lion, but her boyfriend managed to escape naked, only wearing a condom. The two were having their quality time near Mahombekombe Primary School, said a reliable source.
After realizing the presence of the deadly wild animal in the midst of their alleged love nest, the nude survivor is said to have escaped for dear life while leaving his female counterpart behind.
Another source who claimed to know the two very well told the My Zimbabwe news crew that the man was naked since it was very hot.
He is a fisherman and he used to meet so often at the same spot with his girlfriend who is now deceased. His girlfriend, Mai Desire, was a vendor and the two were romping when the incident occurred. In fact, they were doing it sideways. The lion came from behind and roared. The guy managed to escape before stopping at a distance, from where he witnessed his companion being attacked. He later rushed to the road seeking help.
The man is said to have been ignored by motorists and members of the public who initially thought he was mad since he was naked and wearing a condom.
Later on, people heard his plea and accompanied him to the police, where he reported the matter. Cops and officers from Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority attended the scene and fired a single shot before getting to the spot. The woman had already been killed. She had bloody bruises all over her body. Her neck and tummy had been mauled.
Members of an apostolic sect who worship near the area where the tragedy occurred reportedly took to their heels amid claims that they saw seven lions in the area.
Meanwhile, at around 10 a.m., remains of another man who is yet to be identified were also discovered near ZESA social club. My Zimbabwe is reliably informed that the unidentified man was attacked and killed by lions the day before yesterday and residents of the town are now living in fear since the lions are still roaming freely.
There were also reports that another Kariba man, only identified as Musinje, was attacked to death by lions while coming from a Night Club this week. His remains are said to have been found yesterday at 6 p.m. together with the empty beer container that he was carrying when he got fatally mauled by vicious lions."
and
"The leopard that attacked six Northern Province villagers in Huntington village near Hazyview on Wednesday was in a healthy condition, but had not eaten for four or five days before the attack, the state veterinarian at the Kruger National Park, Dr Dewald Keet, said on Friday.
The young male cat had been rejected from its mothers territory, he said. I suspect that the leopard was afraid to face the world alone and to have to fight a bigger male leopard for territory.
The leopard attacked two brothers cycling to work at Sabi Sabi game reserve and then leapt onto a bakkie that stopped to investigate the abandoned bicycles. The driver of the bakkie, Tinos Mkansi, 49, managed to stab the leopard to death with a screwdriver after a 20-minute fight, but not before it bit his left arm and injured three other people in the back of the vehicle.
Dr Keet praised the men for being able to survive the attack. These people were so brave, its an amazing achievement. In fact I never heard of anything like it before, he said.
Nelspruit Private Hospital spokesperson Elsabe Coetzee said that one of the cyclists, Santos Chauke, 31, had not lost his eyes, as his brother, Reason Chauke, 28, first reported. But his eyes are so swollen you cant even see them and I think he can hardly see at all, she said.
Reason Chauke and Mkansi are in a satisfactory condition at Matikwane Hospital near Hazyview, as is another bakkie passenger, Lawrence Sihlangu, who was bitten on his face, neck and torso. Two other bakkie passengers were treated for scratches and small bite wounds before being released
Two brothers, Reason and Santos Chauke, were riding their bicycles to work through a bushy path at the Sabie Sabie game park. After riding through a donga named `Mletshana', they heard a leopard growl. When they turned they saw it creeping up on them from behind a tree about five meters away.
As the animal advanced, Santos got off his bike and lifted it into the air, and tried to use it as a shield to ward off the animal.
Reason Chauke, who is recuperating from his wounds at the Matikwane hospital in Hazeyview, related the story to City Press.
"The animal just rode all over him. It threw him to the ground and started eating away at his face. I groped around frantically for stones and threw them at the leopard. It then left my brother and came for me. It sank its teeth into both my shoulders,'' he said.
The animal bit him on the top of the head, and as the blood gushed out, it sat down to suck it out.
"I was screaming wildly at my brother, asking him to help. I told him where to find a small knife I always carry around. Although he was injured, he found the knife and tried to stab the leopard. He managed to stab it in the eye. Whenever I tried to move, the animal seemed to become angrier and sank its teeth deeper. When it got angry with my brother trying to stab it, it left me and went for him again,'' Reason said.
The hero of the day, Tinos Mkansi, then appeared on the scene, at that moment, on his daily run to Sabie Sabie, where he shuttles workers to and from work in his bakkie.
Mkansi saw the bikes and the blood. He recognized the bikes and stopped his bakkie. As he did, the leopard reappeared on the scene, having abandoned the Chauke brothers .
The leopard leapt onto the bonnet of the vehicle, flew past the windscreen and dived for the six passengers at the back. They scattered and fled in all directions, except Lawrence Sihlangu, (30), a married father of three. Speaking from his hospital bed, Sihlangu said: ``I honestly did not see it coming. The only thing I remember was the leopard was there already, at the back of the van, grabbing me and dragging me onto the ground. Mkansi saved my life. ''
The leopard grabbed him and yanked him off the bakkie and pulled him onto the ground, sinking its teeth into his right foot. He cried out for help just as Mkansi, armed with a screwdriver, jumped out of his bakkie and came to the rescue.
He threw himself on the back of the animal, riding it horse style, and started stabbing it.
The animal let go of Sihlangu and concentrated on Mkansi. Sihlangu, limping and bleeding, threw some stones at the animal, but did not seem to hurt it at all.
As the fight to the death raged between men and beast, the leopard kept switching its attention between Mkansi and Sihlangu.
"As it attacked Sihlangu, I would try and fight it, and then it would leave him and come for me, and Sihlangu would try and fight it. In the end I just got onto its back. I asked Sihlangu to help me by pressing down its rear legs but to be very, very careful,'' Mkansi said.
"At the same time I held it down, carefully not to allow it to get its claws into me I know it could kill me with only its claws. Somehow, it managed to turn its head and grab my left arm. I could only use one hand now. I screamed at the other people to pass me stones. The first stone I forced into the leopard's mouth, but it managed to spew it out. I took the second one and this one got stuck in its mouth. Then I continued stabbing it with the screwdriver until I felt its strength sap and sap away. Then it died.'' Mkansi said.
All this time the badly-injured Chauke brothers were watching the action from a distance. They crawled closer, dripping with blood.
Mkansi's heroism did not end there. Using only one hand while the other bled profusely, he drove all the injured to a game reserve nearby where help was summoned.
Santos Chauke is in intensive care at a private hospital in Nelspruit with serious facial injuries, while his brother Reason, Mkansi and Sihlangu are recuperating well at the Matikwane hospital.
Tinos's brother Elmon Mkansi (51), said: "My brother is a very brave man. He was also probably sent by God to be there at that moment. Minutes before the attack on the Chaukes, three people were almost mauled by the same leopard. The first two were travelling on foot and ran for their lives when they heard it growl. It ignored them - why I don't know. At about the same time, one man rode past on a bicycle, heard it growl, saw it and rode away as fast as he could. Still, it ignored him.
"But when the Chaukes appeared on the scene immediately afterwards, it decided this time it was going to have a meal. By luck, sheer luck, Tinos arrived on the scene." "
Johan
Jul 7, 2015 | 3:25 pm
#8
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Ask yourself, do you honestly think someone just puts their arm out in front of a leopard for no apparent reason? I think safari guides are a little more intelligent than that. The leopard was about to or in the process of jumping in the vehicle and the guide did what he had to avoid that to protect himself and the guests. I am fairly confident that when the report comes out the guide and company will be vindicated in their actions.
Anyway, having been in the Kruger a few times with a number of different guides I can safely say that most of the ones I have experienced are, although very nice, somewhat blase, extremely arrogant, and over casual about the wildlife as the day is long and take risks as far as I am concerned. YMMV.