Waarskuwing. Foto in berig kan sommige lesers ontstel.
NOORD-KAAP. – Andries “Vollie” de Waal, ’n boer van Kleinzee, is deur ’n luiperd aangeval terwyl hy jakkalse en rooikatte saam met ’n jaggeselskap op ’n plaas naby Kleinzee gejag het.
Volgens ‘n sosialemediaplasing deur die Landmark Leopard & Predator Project – South Africa was De Waal deel van ’n jaggeselskap met twee bakkies en ’n motorfiets op Willem van Dyk se plaas. Die jag het volgens die plasing gedurende die dag plaasgevind, hoewel sulke jagtogte gewoonlik snags gehou word.
Nadat ’n jakkalsspoor verloor is, is ’n groter spoor opgemerk wat moontlik dié van ’n bruinhiëna of hond kon wees. Die spoor is met ’n motorfiets gevolg en die persoon op die motorfiets het teruggekeer met die waarskuwing dat daar ’n “groot ding” in die bos was. Die bakkies het die bos op kort afstand genader, waarna ’n luiperd uitgestorm en De Waal, wat agterop een van die voertuie met ’n geweer was, aangeval het. Volgens die projek het De Waal die geweer gebruik om die luiperd van hom af te stoot, waarna die dier afgespring en weggehardloop het.
Willem van Dyk, die plaaseienaar, het bevestig daar is geen vermoede dat die luiperd vee aangeval het nie. Die projek sê die luiperd moenie die skuld vir die aanval kry nie en wens De Waal ’n spoedige herstel toe.
Lees die volledige plasing in Engels hier onder:
Farmer attacked by Leopard while on a hunt of predators in the Northern Cape.
Mr Andries “Vollie” De Waal was part of a hunting party involving two bakkies and motorbike. The Hunt occurred on the farm of Mr Willem Van Dyk near Kleinsee on the Namaqua Coast. The Hunt was after jackals and caracal.
These types of hunts usually take place at night. This Hunt took place during the day, and reportedly the Spoor of a jackal was lost in the course of the Hunt. At some stage a large spoor was detected, thought to be perhaps a brown hyena or dogs, and was pursued on motorbike. The motorbike returned to report that a “groot ding was in die bos” which prompted the bakkies to approach the bush at close range. Mr De Waal was on the back of the vehicle with a rifle. At this point a Leopard charged out of the bush and attacked. It would appear that the injuries were caused by the claws of the Leopard. It is reported that Mr De Waal used the rifle to push the Leopard off himself. The Leopard then ran away.
Mr Van Dyk, the Farm owner, confirmed that the Leopard was not suspected of any livestock depredation.
Leopards do occur infrequently in the region. Historically they have been well documented in the Orange river gorge below the Augrabies national park on the Namibian border. Leopards are, of course, well-known to be distributed through the Cederberg and higher lying areas between the Western Cape Mountains and the Namaqualand areas up to Springbok.
This is not a damage causing Leopard. It should be left well alone and not be pursued. This is an unfortunate situation and we wish Mr de Waal well.
In over 300 years in the Cape provinces not a single case of a deliberate attack on a human being has been recorded. The only instances of human attacks have been in situations where Leopards have been hunted or cornered, as in this case. The animal cannot be blamed, and should not be.
