Former Zimbabwean cricketer Guy Whittall has once again faced a life-threatening encounter with a wild animal, this time surviving a brutal attack by a leopard while trekking through a conservancy he manages in the Humani region. However, this was not the first time Whittall had encountered deadly wildlife. The 51-year-old, who previously woke up to find a crocodile under his bed in 2013, sustained serious injuries from the attack, necessitating emergency surgery.
The incident unfolded while Whittall was accompanied by his loyal dog Chikara, who also suffered injuries in the effort to defend his owner. The dramatic confrontation left Whittall bloodied and in urgent need of medical attention. He was initially stabilized at the nearby Hippo Clinic by the diligent medical staff before being airlifted to Harare for further treatment.
Hannah Stooks-Whittall, Whittall’s wife, provided a detailed account of the harrowing experience on her Facebook page. She described the sequence of events leading to her husband's emergency airlift and subsequent hospital transfer. “...Guy’s run in with a wounded leopard earlier today. We are very fortunate that he was stabilized at Hippo Clinic by wonderful staff. He was then airlifted from Buffalo Range by ace ambulance to Harare, then transferred to Milton Park Hospital for treatment. He is currently awaiting surgery tomorrow morning as he lost a lot of blood today,” she detailed in her post.
Reflecting on the incident, Hannah also spoke to MailOnline, expressing her relief and amazement at her husband's fortune in surviving yet another dangerous wildlife encounter. "He really is one lucky man," she said. "First he had the crocodile and now the leopard, he really is the cat with nine lives."
This is not Whittall's first brush with potentially deadly wildlife. In a bizarre incident nearly a decade earlier, he discovered an eight-foot crocodile lurking quietly under his bed after a night's sleep, only becoming aware of his unexpected guest when his housemaid screamed in fright.
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