Man kills leopard with his bare hands, says; “I stared death in the eyes. I stood with my fists clenched, ready to punch like a boxer. I told myself one of us had to die.”
These are the heroic words of Ndumiso Mona who battled with a stray leopard that allegedly escaped from the Kruger National Park (KNP).
Standing on the step of his partially built home in the village of Matsulu in the Mbombela Local Municipality in Mpumalanga, the young man dressed in work overalls, grey socks and sandals recounted his ordeal that played out mid-morning on 21 July.
“I was hanging out outside a local shop with friends when we heard about a stray leopard roaming near my home. My instincts told me to run home. I was worried about my two siblings, who were at primary school,” he said while clinching his fists like a boxer.
“I ran and passed my home… when I saw it. I turned around, and it growled behind my back. I turned again. We stared at each other’s eyes. We both stood for about two minutes facing each other,” said the 23-year-old.
Mona continued: “My heart was pumping heavily. It opened its mouth, and I saw sharp teeth. It was ready to pounce. I clenched my fists. There was no turning back. I told myself that one of us wouldn’t make it alive. That was not going to me.” He said minutes later the wild cat jumped on him.
“It slapped me with its right paw. I punched it in the chest. It fell. It jumped at me again. I punched. It fell. It sprung on me again, going for my face. I grabbed its neck. Its hind legs tore my pants. “We both fell to the ground and rolled. I didn’t let go of its neck.
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