A former top-class cricketer has cheated death again after being attacked by a leopard, years after he woke up to find an eight-foot-long crocodile hiding under his bed. Zimbabwean SUV
Guy Whittall, 51, needed emergency surgery after being severely mauled by the big cat while with his trusty dog ​​Chikara, who was also bitten as he tired to save it.
Guy, best remembered for his unbeaten double century of 203 in 1997, which he did not play against New Zealand, was attacked while walking through the conservation area he runs in Humani, Zimbabwe.
He runs the safari business, based at the junction of the Turgwe and Save rivers in the south of the country, with his father Guy and where one morning he woke up to find a crocodile sleeping under his bed.
Guy’s wife posted dramatic images of the latest attack on social media, showing Guy being treated in the bush by doctors with bandages on his head, before being flown to Milton Park Hospital in the capital Harare.
Guy Whittall, 51, needed emergency surgery after being severely mauled by the big cat.
Guy’s wife posted dramatic images of the latest attack on social media, showing Guy being treated in the bush by doctors with bandages on his head.
A man woke up one morning and found a crocodile sleeping under his bed.
Hannah Stooks-Whittall added that he had “lost a lot of blood” but was saved by “faithful K9 Chikara”, who “was mauled by the leopard and was left with Guy’s cat”.
A later image showed Guy in hospital giving a thumbs up with his head and hands still bandaged and Hannah wrote that he had “come out of surgery” with his wounds “cleaned and stitched”.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Hannah said: “He really is a lucky man, first he had the crocodile and now the leopard, he really is the cat with nine lives.”
“He was very lucky that Chikara was there to help him and take the leopard away from him, otherwise who knows how it could have ended.”
“We are very grateful to him and Chikara will receive some extra chicken as a gift.” He has to see the vet because he has some scratches and should be fine, he is in better shape than Guy.
“Luckily Guy is in bed and talking, telling anyone who will listen how he fought a leopard, but we all know it was Chikara’s fault.”
It’s not the first time Guy has had a brush with a wild animal: in 2013 he made headlines after footage emerged of a 300-pound crocodile sleeping under his bed while he was still in it.
Zimbabwe batsman Guy Whittall celebrates after scoring his fourth Test century in 2001.
The eight-foot animal had snuck into his cabin and spent the entire night lying quietly, just fractions below an oblivious Guy.
The beast, a Nile crocodile, managed to stay hidden for more than eight hours during the night.
The next morning, Guy had even sat on the edge of his bed, his feet dangling over the edge, just inches from the crocodile’s face, as he organized his day.
But he remained oblivious to his uninvited guest and was only alerted when he was enjoying breakfast in the kitchen and heard the petrified screams of a maid.
Guy was out with his trusty dog ​​Chikara (pictured in 2022), who was also bitten as he tired himself out to save him.
A later image showed Guy in hospital giving a thumbs up with his head and hands still bandaged and Hannah wrote that he had “come out of surgery” with his wounds “cleaned and stitched”.
At the time he said: “What’s really disconcerting about the whole episode is the fact that that morning I was sitting on the edge of the bed, barefoot and just inches from the crocodile.
‘Crocodiles are experts at hiding, which is why they have survived on Earth for so long and are the main killers in the water.
‘They know how to keep quiet and go unnoticed, it’s in their nature.
‘The crocodile came from the Turgwe River, which is a couple of kilometers from the house.
‘They often wander through the bush, especially when it is cold and rainy. I think he liked being under the bed because it was warm.
He was forced to call some of his co-workers who helped remove the crocodile from its new den and release it into a nearby dam.
The eight-foot animal had sneaked into his shelter and spent the entire night lying silently, just fractions below an oblivious Guy.
Guy said: “Of course he resisted being tied up and taken out from under the bed, that’s natural.”
“Catching and securing a crocodile of any size on land is a fairly simple matter and we have experience in that.
‘The only real danger is that they will bite you because they can’t choke you.
‘The most important thing is to tie his snout and secure him and then it’s just a matter of holding him down and covering his eyes to calm him down.
“However, larger crocodiles require more labor, obviously.” When tied up, they flail frantically and are extremely powerful. “I remember thinking ‘Oh my God, that’s one for the books.'”