Cape Town - SA National Parks (SANParks) has suspended an employee after a video of a man striking a dead leopard that attacked another employee in the Kruger National Park surfaced last week.
The leopard was euthanised after it attacked the employee from the Shalati Concession, who was on their way to work last Sunday.
SANParks said the leopard was being retrieved to be taken for a post-mortem when the video was taken.
This was the second attack on an employee in the same vicinity, according to SANParks.
“SANParks has taken steps to positively identify all persons in the video and the organisation can confirm that four of the implicated persons are SANParks employees and three are rangers.
"A further three individuals are employed by concessions who operate in the park and the last one is employed as an environmental monitor.
"The ninth person who was filmed striking the euthanised leopard was visiting the park and is not a SANParks employee. SANParks is aware of his identity and is taking legal advice on sanctions to be imposed on him.
"On the basis of the evidence receivedm one employee has been suspended pending disciplinary action, and line management is finalising their approach with respect to other employees who may have transgressed SANParks’ policies and code of conduct,” they said.
Animal rights activists have expressed outrage over the incident.
Beauty Without Cruelty chairperson Toni Brockhoven said they condemned the killing of the leopard.
Cape Times