A German tourist has been badly mauled by a Leopard in Kuiseb Canyon in western Namibia on Thursday 12 April 2018. Hardy Specker, 61, was sleeping in a camper van with a window open when he heard the animal scratching at the vehicle. He attempted to close the window but was seized by the Leopard, which attempted to drag him out of the vehicle, while his partner attempted to pull him back in. Eventually the Cat released him, leaving him with severe lacerations, but stayed close by, preventing either passenger from leaving the camper. Eventually they were able to alert a passing motorist to their plight and Mr Specker was taken to a hospital in Walvis Bat for treatment.
Bloodstains on the side of a vehicle that a Leopard attempted to drag a tourist from. The Namibian.
Leopards, unlike most animals., are natural predators
of Humans and will often attack us if the opportunity arises. They are
also extremely flexible in their habitat requirements, and can adapt to
live in Human-modified environments quite readily. Humans will generally
do their best to avoid this, and in areas where Leopards are found tend
to take precautions, such as building secure barriers around villages
or killing the Leopards. Leopards are considered to be Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, due to habitat loss, licenced hunting, poaching for the illegal wildlife trade and loss of prey species, though Southern African populations have been less depleted than populations in other parts of Africa and Asia.
A Leopard killed by a hunter in Namibia. Wikimedia Commons.
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