South Africa: Leopard attacks man in North West

Johannesburg - A 32-year old man sustained severe head and back injuries when a leopard attacked him near Brits, North West police said on Wednesday.

Captain Adele Myburgh said the man was riding a bicycle to work on Tuesday, when the leopard attacked him on the Dikololo-Assen road.

He fought for his life and managed to scare away the leopard, which ran off towards the direction of a nearby game reserve.

"The victim was taken to Brits Hospital for medical treatment and discharged on the same day," she said.

The area is surrounded by game reserves and it was thought the leopard might have escaped from one of them.

A search for the leopard has been launched.

- SAPA

They've launched a search for that criminal! (Leopard) How dare he leave or "escape" from one of those game reserves! Hey, he was just looking for some "fast" food!

Strange story

Who wants to put money on the fact that the leopard escaped from a cage rather than a Reserve and just had to get one back at what he saw as one of his tormentors....or maybe he just wanted to use the bicycle!!

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfr...pard-attack-20110210


Victim's story and photo of his wounds.

That's some nasty damage!

Wow! That is a nasty photograph!

Sorry for this guy's wounds, but I just have to wonder if he wasn't checking his own snare line. If he was, this may quell his enthusiasm for the poaching life.

Here is the text of the article:


Seugnet Esterhuyse, Beeld

Pretoria - A man has told how he used his bicycle as a shield to protect himself as an enraged leopard attacked him.

"The Lord was next to me," said Pieta Ncube, 39, who was attacked by a leopard which had just freed itself from a wire trap near a game farm close to the Dikhololo holiday resort, about 20km outside Brits in the North West.

Ncube said he was cycling to work from his house in Waterval at about 05:00 on Tuesday morning and was about 9km from the main road between Brits and Thabazimbi when he suddenly heard something behind him.

"I slowed down to see what was behind me." He stopped and the leopard suddenly attacked from behind.

"I was just able to use my bike to stop him getting me."

Steel bar

He did this by managing to trap the leopard's two front legs in the triangle of the bike's frame so that the animal wasn't able to move freely and couldn't reach him with his teeth.

"The leopard's head stuck out just above the saddle," said Ncube. The leopard was however still able to inflict bloody scratches to Ncube's face and head.

Ncube took a loose steel bar that he had on his bike to finally frighten off the leopard, after which the animal disappeared through a fence on the other side of the road.

"I then took off my shirt and wrapped it around my head to stop the bleeding and called my boss to come and fetch me.

Ncube's employer, Hennie Brits, 50, said he couldn't believe it when Ncube said he was attacked by a leopard while on his bike.

"You have a greater chance of winning the lotto twice than being caught by a leopard on your bike," he said.

Brits was on the scene in less than 10 minutes and took Ncube to hospital, where his injuries were treated. He will need injections every third day for a month.

Leopard trapped in snare

There are indications that shortly before the attack on Ncube, the leopard had been fighting for its life after becoming trapped in a wire snare on a game fence.

Nails and hair near the trap showed how the leopard struggled to free itself.

Brits said poachers regularly set such traps to catch warthog and other small game.

Hencke Marais of Tshwane nature conservation's specialist services said warthogs and leopards can't be kept in by game fences as they are animals that roam free.

"Nine out of ten leopard attacks are fatal. Ncube was therefore very lucky," said Marais.

If wild animals are injured or trapped, they are even more dangerous.

If the leopard was not too badly injured he would go as far away as possible from the place of the incident, said Marais.

"The leopard's chances of survival depend on how deep the wire trap cut into his skin."

- Beeld

As always opinions are opinions,

But that chappie was checking his snareline,

Had a farm close too there, and the poachers would check snarelines early in the morning, the piece of solid bar ??

Most like rebar , sharpened on one end to kill stuff stll alive in snare

Kwan,

I find your theory to be the most plausible, by far.

An unprovoked leopard attack on a man riding by on a bicycle? Not likely.

"A search for the leopard has been launched." They're blaming this on the leopard?

"Nine out of ten leopard attacks are fatal" ??? That is not consistent with my readings and experience. Any comments?

I agree. I smell a rat! Poacher caught red headed, uh handed!

@Walter, Mole, UEG: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought his story was a little fishy!

@Brice: That goes against what I have always read and heard as well. Every PH I ever talked to about leopard attacks said they were more likely to hit and run, while it was the lion who would press the attack to make sure you were dead.