Former Zimbabwe cricketer Guy Whittall underwent emergency surgery after being attacked by a wounded leopard while on a hunting session earlier in the week. The incident occurred in Humani, Zimbabwe’s Southeast Lowveld and while Whittall was on his family game reserve, a place where he had previously encountered wild animals.

The attack happened early in the week and resulted in serious injuries for Guy Whittall, who was promptly airlifted to Harare for emergency medical treatment. His wife, Hannah Stooks-Whittall, took to Facebook to share the harrowing news with friends, family, and fans. In her post, she detailed the severity of the situation, revealing that Whittall had lost a significant amount of blood and required urgent care.

Hannah’s message on social media was both a notification and a heartfelt expression of gratitude towards the medical staff at Hippo Clinic, who stabilised her husband before he could be transferred to Milton Park Hospital for further treatment. She described the overwhelming support they received: “Guy and I are overwhelmed by the hundreds of messages of well-wishers after Guy’s run-in with a wounded leopard earlier today,” she wrote. “We are very fortunate that he was stabilized at Hippo Clinic by wonderful staff.”

Hannah also said that Guy Whitall lost a lot of blood after injuries to his hand, legs and head. In a photo shared by his wife, Guy was seen standing with a bandage on his bloodied head. In the next photo, Guy was seen on the hospital bed, showing a thumbs-up.

The encounter with the leopard comes 11 years after Guy Whitall discovered an eight-foot crocodile under his bed. The crocodile was spotted by his housemaid in his bedroom at a game reserve after he spent his night there. Guy Whitall had also shared the photo of the crocodile lying under his bed and described how lucky he felt after surviving the brush with the wild animal, which had entered his room from a nearby river.

Guy Whitall, who played 46 Tests and 147 ODIs from 1993 to 2003, has since transitioned from the cricket pitch to running a safari business. Guy was an all-rounder with close to 5000 runs at the international level and 139 wickets.