Leopard shot 20m from tourists
29/06/2005 22:45 - (SA)









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Elise Tempelhoff


Vanderbijlpark - A relaxed fireside chat between South Africans and their American friends in the Lethaba rest camp in the Kruger Park was interrupted dramatically when a ranger shot dead a full-grown female leopard about 20m from where they were sitting.

Dr Johan Mostert, a former director of the Apostolic Faith Mission's welfare services and now a visiting professor at a seminary in America, said on Wednesday: "We were sitting around, chatting. The next minute, the bushbuck ran off, spooked. Then we heard shots.

"In between the shots, wardens warned people to stay in their rondawels and tents.

Shortly after the first shot, on Tuesday evening, one of the Americans jumped up and shouted indignantly: "What's the matter with you? Why are you shooting at the antelope?"

According to Mostert, one of the wardens replied: "There's a leopard in the camp; she's going to kill you!"

Shot her in the heart

The warden's first shot hit the leopard in the right hind leg. Mostert said the warden was shaking so much, he couldn't reload his rifle for the second shot.

The wounded leopard tried to run away, but another warden shot her in the heart 20m from where Mostert and his friends had been sitting.

Mostert said: "They fired a fourth shot just to make sure she was dead."

Raymond Travers of the Kruger Park said on Wednesday afternoon that as long as bushbuck were walking around in Lethaba rest camp, there would be problems with leopards.

"We are sorry that people had to live through this experience.

"It is shocking, but we had no other choice because the tourists' safety is our first priority."

He said the leopard had lost one of her canines and it was possible she found the camp's bushbuck easy prey.

On Wednesday, personnel in the park searched the fence around Lethaba for the hole that might have allowed the leopard to get in.

Tried frist to scare off animal

Travers said: "Leopards are opportunists. It's possible that she could have climbed a tree and jumped the fence."

Travers also said that in instances such as these, wardens always tried first to scare off the animal.

If a vet was on hand, the animal could be darted with a tranquilliser and then be moved.

However, the wardens had no option but to shoot the animal, he said.

"It was nine o'clock at night and pitch dark."

Canned?

Answer this:

If an animal rights activist is being mauled by a leopard, should we stop it...

Or, let nature take its course?

quote:

If an animal rights activist is being mauled by a leopard, should we stop it...

In a word NO.

Survival of the fittest, and gene pool culling, via leopard.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
Canned?

Answer this:

If an animal rights activist is being mauled by a leopard, should we stop it...

Or, let nature take its course?

James Earl Jones voice over:

"Nature, in its primeval force, merciless, relentless, unforgiving, forceful, powerful, devastating . . .

Let us bid goodbye to one who believed profoundly that Nature should not, indeed, cannot, be stopped or meddled with, that Nature, in her primordial power, must be left to her own devices, one who . . . has just been shredded, sliced and diced, blended, pureed and chopped into pink fleshy shreds . . . by Nature herself."

Stay tuned for next week's show: "Earth-bound asteroids . . . friends or foes?"

Of course it isn't a canned hunt. It wasn't a hunt at all. Sounds like the warden that made the first shot was wetting his pants, rightly so I would think if you were not a big game hunter accustomed to this and anticipating it, trying to get a hungry cat at night. I'd probably need new pants as well.

interesting that one Americans first response was to shout for them to stop shooting at the antelope, my first response when I hear gunfire is,"what the hell is being shot at, is it me?" (where I live unless you hear screaching tires you aren't the one being shot at )

Ann, I think that is the time you need to stop the leopard. Here is the reason. The activists always SAY to put the life of animals before anything else. The livelihood of a town, the income of a family, the food source of a village etc etc. But when being attacked I guarantee their outlook changes, just like the old saying "there are no atheists in fox holes" well "there are no activists being mauled". If asked RIGHT AFTERWARDS they would be grateful and say they were glad they were rescued. probably a week later they would call you a killer and say they were ready to die, that's when you play the tape of them screaming for help.

Red

quote:

Originally posted by Dago Red:
(where I live unless you hear screaching tires you aren't the one being shot at )

Red

Hey Red,

What goes Clop, clop, clop, clop, clop, BANG!, cloppity, clop, cloppity, clop, cloppity, clop ?
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An Amish drive-by!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by farktoof:


The warden's first shot hit the leopard in the right hind leg. Mostert said the warden was shaking so much, he couldn't reload his rifle for the second shot.

Thats probaly the first time the warden got to shoot his rifle.