FIGHT WITH LEOPARDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 February 1923, Page 8

FIGHT WITH LEOPARDS

A TRIAL <F STRENGTH. A hunter in the Nyeri district "I Kenya, Air James Kat tray, lias had a thrilling adventure wit h a Jeopard. J-ho animal sjtrang upon him al close qitatiers, and a t ront iitlous struggle tieiwcvii man ami (teas! was tlie nsult, in wliicii the matt did Jiot come oil second b< st. 'i'lte leopard was beaten, and tile Jmiii escaped wiili his lile, tiiougn almost as by miracle. Air Rattray had shut a zebra, but when he went to the spot where the animal had lall.cn lie found a leopatd crouching on the ground tn possession t.f Hie carcase. The leopard, with a growl, came loiward to Ihe attack, and Air Rattray only just had time to raise Ins gun and fire three Irudless shots when the angry animal charged. In a moment it was upon him. Hts gnu was useless, so, seizing the leopard Dy tlie tliroal with his bare hands, Jia tried to choke I lie- lile out ol it. H was a trial of strength between a greai. cat and a. powerl'ul man. As the light progt'j’sscd brute force told, and rd I’ Rattray felt his strength gradually going. He struggled in desperation <is long as lie could, tlie leopard all the time I tying to get its mouth lorward to give its ant agonist a bite. ' Then the hunter, unable to continue the. struggle, released his hold ami waited for death. But here happened an amaziiig tiling. Appai’enii.y l‘"' Jeopard also had had enough of it, mid on feeling tile hunter’s grip loosen, H tiiimcd and slunk "IT info the bush. Native helpers arrived and followed tlie leopard into lhe grass where once a”ain it turned I" attack, but six shots rang out, and tlie animal fell. Il had fought its last fight. Mr Rattray bad been badly mauled, but he is now icovering rapidly. The. leopards of Kenya Colony have •I bad reputation for ferocity. Some Hine ago Captain Douglas I’enuajil was hunting in Kenya, when lie wounded a loop,aid. It ran ml" <'"ver, and tlm hunter followed. Suddenly I lie annual sprang upon him, apparently Irom -i tree iii which il bad taken rdmio, and bore him 10l ho ground. Fortunately a Somali gnu hearer who had followed him into the bush was a . rack shot, ami tiring, lie blew out llm leopard's brains almost al tlie same mo uient that il reached Hie ground. The. leopard had had lime to make only om> bite at tlie hunter, but that bite came witliin an ace of crushing his skull. As it was. Captain Douglas-l’ennant s jaw was t’loken, an ear was bitten "11, and lie was injured in other ways. He spent some weeks ill hospital m Nairobi, and then had I" return to Englatul for prolonged medical treatment., his bed al. Nairobi hospital being taken by another hunter who also had been mauled by a leopard.