Former Zimbabwe all-rounder Guy Whittall survives leopard attack; currently hospitalized after being saved by pet dog
Former Zimbabwe all-rounder Guy Whittall barely survived an attack by a leopard while on a hunting expedition and underwent surgery at Harare.
The attack took place earlier in the week when Whittall was trying to track down a leopard wounded by a client. His wife, Hannah Stooks-Whittall, confirmed the same through a Facebook post and added that their pet dog helped prevent further injuries to Guy Whittall by scrapping the leopard off him
Her post read:
"Chikara [is] coming up tomorrow to the vet after being mauled by the leopard and getting the cat off Guy! Very special boy."
She added:
"Guy and I are overwhelmed by the hundreds of messages of well-wishers after 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."
This incident comes over a decade after Whittall survived an eight-foot crocodile under his bed while he was asleep in 2013.
A look at Guy Whittall's international career
Guy Whittall was one the mainstays in the Zimbabwe lineup during their period of success in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s.
With the ability to bowl right-arm medium pace, the now-51-year-old was also a skillful middle-order batter. Whittall played 46 Tests and 147 ODIs in a decade-long career for Zimbabwe from 1993 to 2003.
He scored almost 5,000 combined runs with 4 centuries and 21 half-centuries, including a highest score of 203* in a Test match against New Zealand in 1997. Whittall was also an irritant for opposition batters with the ball, picking up 139 wickets across the two formats with four 4-wicket hauls.
The all-rounder was an integral part of the Zimbabwe World Cup sides in the 1996, 1999 and 2003 editions. Zimbabwe qualified for the Super Sixes in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups.
Whittall played his final game for Zimbabwe in the 2003 World Cup against New Zealand.