Two Year Old Killed by Leopard in the Kruger National Park

SANParks confirmed that a leopard killed a staff members child last night at 20:00PM, the boy was rushed to Shongwe Howpital by family members but was certified dead by doctors.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African National Parks, Fundisile Mketeni has extended his condolences to the family of the deceased, saying: “Our prayers and thoughts are with the family during this trying time, we wish them strength and will give them all the support they need as an organisation. It is never easy to lose a loved one especially under such tragic circumstances. This is the risk we live with on a daily basis as we help conserve our species for the benefit of all. May the young toddler’s soul rest in eternal peace.”

“Upon hearing of the incident, the section ranger, Lance Corporal with help from the regional ranger went out to search for the animal. The offending animal was found and shot dead to remove the danger of another person falling victim,” Ike Phaala, the spokesperson for SANParks said.

They further explained that it was for the safety of everyone that the leopard had to be shot. “It may result in species like a leopard getting habituated to people and losing their fear. The change in natural behavior can then lead to unfortunate incidents such as this. This is an unfortunate risk that staff experience when having to live and work in environments like KNP. These events are very rare occurrences but always tragic when they do occur,” he said.

KNP management has sent a delegation to the family to give moral support and professional counseling will be provided to all involved. The name of the deceased has been withheld and will be released once all family members have been notified.

We send our deepest condolences to the little boys family.

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