NATIONAL NEWS - “It’s a miracle that my son is alive and that I was within three to four metres from him when the leopard attacked. I was able to react fast and I believe this is what saved his life,” said Mr Justin Denny, a financial consultant from Johannesburg.
His youngest son, Kellan (6), was snatched by a leopard on Tuesday April 26, from a low wall that surrounds the boma area at his holiday home on Ntsiri Private Nature Reserve in the Umbabat, in the Timbavati-Klaserie conservation area near Hoedspruit.
Kellan and his brother Kai (8), were playing a running game up and down the wall.
The incident happened about four metres from the house.
The leopard pounced, knocked Kellan to the ground, pinned him, bit into his shoulder and then picked him up in his jaws and headed in the same direction from which it had attacked, dragging him through a mopani thicket.
“We were outside for 30 minutes and I would assume it slowly stalked, getting closer and closer and when Kellan went and stood on the wall to do another lap, the leopard pounced.
“Fortunately I was about three metres away and could give chase. With lots of shouting and screaming I followed the leopard for about 30 metres into the bush. “By the grace of God the leopard dropped my son. It was a total miracle,” said Justin.
