Wounded leopards maul two professional hunters

TWO Namibians working in the hunting trade have been seriously injured in the past month after they were attacked by wounded leopards.

On Monday, Yakandonga Lodge owner Henry Peters was rushed to Otjiwarongo’s hospital after he was attached by a wounded leopard he was trying to track down and kill. The animal was wounded the day before when a trophy hunter missed his mark. Peters sustained serious facial injuries, sources confirmed. Almost a month ago, a second professional hunter, Naude Alberts, who works at Eden Trophy Hunting lodge in north-eastern Namibia, nearly lost his hand in a similar incident. Alberts was also accompanying a trophy hunter who had wounded a leopard. When Alberts tried to track down the leopard it turned on him and seriously wounded his left hand. Both Peters and Alberts were eventually transferred to hospitals in Windhoek to undergo surgery for their injuries. Dr Kalumbi Shangula, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, described the two incident’s as ‘unfortunate’ but added that it is ‘a problem’ that two wild animal attacks on professional hunters have already been reported in the first half of the year.He said these hunters ‘should know how to behave and prevent such issues’. Dr Shangula said people must be very careful when dealing with wild animals. ‘Their behaviour is unpredictable, even when they are peaceful, any slight provocation can induce an attack,’ he warned.During the incident in which Peters was attacked, it is alleged he tried to defend himself by firing a revolver twice at the leopard. It was of no use, and the wounded animal managed to flee.It was only the next day, two days after the leopard was first shot, that it was located and killed.Alberts was attacked on Eden in May. According to a source in the hunting sector, the number of attacks is not unusual, but the involvement of professional hunters is a concern.’We do not expect this from hunting guides and professional hunters. These are professional people, they should know. These are unfortunate incidents, but they are qualified enough to know the animal’s behaviour.’Alberts declined to speak to The Namibian, while Peters could not be reached for comment by the time of going to print.