A six-year-old boy is recovering at home in Johannesburg after being snatched by a leopard while playing with his brother in a bush camp outside the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Kellan Denny and his brother, aged eight, were running along the top of a low wall around the entertainment area at the N’tsiri private nature reserve where he and his parents were staying last week.
The cat leapt at the boy, grabbed his shoulder in its jaws and dragged him for about 30 metres.
The manager of the camp, who asked not to be named, said that this was the first incident of its kind in the reserve in 40 years.
He said he could tell from the size of the bitemarks on the boy that the leopard was a male. Fully grown males can weigh up to 201lb, run at a speed of 36mph and are not known to be picky eaters.
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“The leopard was most likely hunting when it saw the boy,” the manager said.
Wild animals are known to roam in the area around the hut in the park.
Justin Denny, the boy’s father, told the local Cape Argus newspaper that his son was running along the wall and had done about seven laps when he was called back for lunch.
“He wanted to go back and do another lap,” Mr Denny said. “When he went back to the wall, that is when the leopard attacked.”
Mr Denny ran after the leopard shouting: “No, no, no this can’t be happening!”
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“By the grace of God, it dropped him,” he said. “I picked him up and rushed him back to the rondavel. A neighbour arrived with his wife who is a nurse.”
Mr Denny called the reserve’s management, which sent a doctor to assess the boy. Kellan was taken to a hospital where he received stitches, was given a tetanus injection and administered antibiotics.
Mr Denny said his son was in shock but is recovering well.
“At the time, my focus was on chasing down the leopard and making sure Kellan was fine. His brother was also quite traumatised, but he was brave for his brother.”
Kellan’s family have since taken to calling him “Leopard Boy”.
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In July last year a leopard was put down after it attacked a tour guide in the Kruger National Park.
The guide and six tourists were in an open safari vehicle watching the leopard, when it sneaked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and launched its attack.
In November, a 32-year-old Swiss woman was killed by a leopard at the Siyafunda bushcamp in Limpopo province.
Maureen Bamert was part of a group on a two-week volunteer trip sleeping in a partially covered wooden house. Her mauled body was discovered on the raised deck of the camp at 5am the following day.