Farm manager stares death in its yellow eyes, leopard attack near Marloth Park
A farm manager near Marloth Park recently fought for his life against a leopard. He recounted his experience to Lowvelder.
A manager at a farm near this holiday town said he recently stared death in the eye when he came face to face with a leopard, halfway between life and death.
“All I could see were those fangs and those yellow eyes. It felt like I was facing death.”
Herman Linde had been inspecting an isolated building on the property at about 07:30 on October 26 when a leopard appeared out of nowhere and charged at him. “I had seen an injured leopard wandering around the property a few days earlier and reported it to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) who told me that if I were to see it again, I should call them and they would come out to dart it,” he said.
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“The next Thursday morning, I was busy on the farm with a small building project quite far from where all the main activity is. I went out to check the building that morning and felt like I was being watched. I looked around and couldn’t see anything. I thought I was just being paranoid, but as I came around the corner of the building, I heard a loud roar and saw a leopard charging at me.”
He said it looked like the leopard had been lying in wait under a tree nearby, and as he walked in to its line of sight, it took its opportunity to pounce. “I turned around, ran into the building and slammed close the gate to the entrance. As I did so, the leopard jumped up against it and thrusted his paw through at me. He ripped my shirt and scratched me a little, but luckily it was not more serious.”
He said the lock to the gate was on the leopard’s side, so he had to push against the gate to keep it closed.
“The leopard kept pushing back. He was roaring and trying to get his head through. I had to kick him in the nose a few times to stop him.”
Linde said the leopard looked to be in a bad condition. He had porcupine quills stuck in his upper body and looked very skinny. “I think if he was younger and in a better condition, I might not have been the winner in the struggle,” he said.
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He was shouting for the employees on the farm, but no one could hear him. “I think the whole thing lasted just a few minutes, and then he gave up and lay down on the concrete in front of the building for a bit. He got up and went to back to the tree I think he had originally lain under.”
Linde got out his cellphone and called one of his employees and told him to bring one of the bakkies right up close to the building’s entrance so he could make a safe escape.
He said he told the other employees to stay on the farm and called the MTPA. “I was quite stressed afterwards. I have never had an encounter this close before,” he said.
The leopard was euthanised. An autopsy report by the state vet, Dr Pieter Kieviet, noted that the leopard was in a very poor condition. It was emaciated and had sustained injuries to its lungs and heart after attempting to kill a porcupine in a desperate bid to get a meal. The report noted that the injuries would have caused its death in just a few days.
The MTPA’s carnivore scientist, Gerrie Camacho, said the leopard was likely on the farm because it found it to be a safe space, free from other leopards. He said the area would have likely had duikers and other small buck for the leopard to prey on. He said leopards do not usually attack humans unless provoked or backed into a corner. Camacho said that in this instance, the leopard was thought to be in a very desperate state, needing food, and was thus highly aggressive and ready to charge at any movement it saw around it, including a human.
He said if someone sees a leopard or big cat, they should avoid it and leave it alone. He said it should only be reported if there is a potential risk or danger to human life, or if it is in an enclosed or highly populated area.
In such cases, he urged the public to contact the following MTPA members:
• Louw Steyn (damage-causing animals): 083 626 6792
• April Lukhele (compliance manager): 072 970 2469
• Ernst Rohm, manager (wildlife/game capture): 083 626 6309
• Gerrie Camacho (carnivore scientist): 082 353 9097.
