Boy (6) snatched by leopard at Kruger National Park

A leopard at a South African game reserve snatched a six-year-old boy and ran off with him.

Little Kellan Denny was attacked and dragged away by the big cat at Kruger National Park.

As the male leopard ran off with the youngster, his father Justin chased the big cat and screamed out: "No! No! No! This can't be happening."

Kellan was dragged 30 metres by the leopard who had sunk his teeth into the boy's shoulder before he was recovered.

Justin was able to retrieve his son after the leopard dropped the boy from his jaws. Kellan, who is said to be ‘quite traumatised' is now recovering at home.

He had been playing with his eight-year-old brother near a wall when he was attacked and dragged off by the big cat.

Officials at Kruger think the leopard was hunting at the time which is why he attacked the youngster.

Kellan was running along the wall when he was called back for lunch, Justin told the local Cape Argus newspaper. But Kellan ran along the wall one more time which is when he was attacked.

His father said: "By the grace of God, it dropped him."

"I picked him up and rushed him back to the rondavel (African-style hut). A neighbour arrived with his wife who is a nurse."

The boy was eventually taken to hospital and received stitches as well as a tetanus injection.

He has now been dubbed "leopard boy" by his family.

Officials at the park, which is north-eastern South Africa, said nothing like this had happened before in more than 40 years.