[UPDATE]: Two Leopards shot for toddler death
Two leopards were gunned down after killing a 30-month old toddler in a camp located within the Kruger National Park [KNP] on Wednesday evening.
The little boy was rushed to the Shongwe Hospital in Malelane, where he was certified dead.
Spokesperson for the South African National Parks (SANParks), Ike Phaahla, says rangers were deployed to track down the animals.
"Two leopards were shot in the immediate vicinity of the scene, an adult female and a sub-adult female and they both correspond with reports from eyewitnesses."
Phaahla says the postmortems revealed that the leopards were in very good condition with good teeth and no obvious injuries prior to their death.
"The adult female was carrying a lot of body fat, but with an empty gut and the youngster also was in great condition with fresh impala in its stomach. This means that they were not desperate animals, and it probably was opportunistic instinct on the part of the adult female," says Phaahla.
Phaahla further reassures visitors of their safety in the Park.
"SANParks would like reassure visitors and other stakeholders who visit the KNP that the area is safe as long as they observe rules and regulations when in the park, especially around illegal feeding of animals," Phaahla added.