INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
The black leopard that attacked a game ranger at the Farm Inn. Picture: Etienne Creux
Pretoria - The two-year-old black leopard that
attacked a game ranger, sinking its claws into his head and face and
leaving him with an exposed skull and torn face, will not be put down or
removed from the Pretoria East wildlife sanctuary, the owners said on
Monday. The owners of the Farm Inn Wildlife Sanctuary
said the cat was not at fault when it attacked the 23-year-old tour
guide as he showed a family around on Saturday.
They said the predator had been in its private
space when the man tried to coax it out for the visitors. “It is a wild
animal. At the time when it attacked it had been in its private holding
space,” spokeswoman Michelle Bosman said. Deon Fourie had gone back into the larger
enclosure when the leopard came out from its holding space and attacked
him, she said.
Members of the family he had been with said Fourie had been in the enclosure for no longer than three minutes when the cat came from behind and jumped on to his back. “He was trying to get it closer to the fence for us to see, when it came out and attacked,” Dani Rinck said on Sunday.
Rinck and other family members rushed to save him, hitting the cat with an assortment of weapons to try to get it off its prey.
He described the scene as bloody, and said Fourie had been on his stomach with the cat on his back, with its claws and teeth in him. Fourie had somehow managed to get it off him, and then one of the men threw water on it. “That was when it walked away,” he said.
He described the scene as bloody, and said Fourie had been on his stomach with the cat on his back, with its claws and teeth in him. Fourie had somehow managed to get it off him, and then one of the men threw water on it. “That was when it walked away,” he said.
The privately owned Farm Inn has a hotel and conference centre, and its wildlife sanctuary offers guided tours. It also has lions, cheetahs, tigers, leopards, wild dogs, hyenas, and pumas, among other animals.
A black leopard is one of the smaller cats in
the panthera family. They are built for hunting and have incredible
speed. Leopards are known for their cream and gold fur spotted with
black markings – the black ones often mistaken for panthers.
On a visit to the black leopard enclosure on
Monday, the Pretoria News team found the cat stretched out on a ledge,
dozing off after a feed. Rangers explained that because it was nocturnal
it would become active after dark. Farm Inn said: “Regrettably the employee failed
to follow protocol and entered a secure enclosure with a black leopard
and was attacked. “The man was well trained and knew he was not
supposed to get into the enclosure, a space meant for those who feed it
or clean up.
“Standard procedure is that guides either stay in the car or stand outside while they talk to visitors.
“They have no business going into the enclosure,” Bosman added.
She said the man was receiving the best
possible care and would be fit for work soon. Staff at Eugene Marais
Hospital confirmed that he was out of danger.
“He is now in a general ward, and doing fine,” said nursing manager Leanne Engelbrecht.
Fourie had facial lacerations and was being
given wound care, she said, adding that patient confidentiality
prevented her from divulging more information on his condition or
treatment.
Bosman said an internal investigation into the
incident was ongoing. The owners would take care of the man and his
treatment, because he had been injured on duty.
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