Guy Whittall, the popular former Zimbabwe cricketer who unknowingly slept with an eight-foot-long crocodile in 2013 has cheated death once again.

This time round, Whittall, 51, survived a leopard attack. According to a report by ‘Daily Mail’, Whittall was trekking in his conservancy in Humani region, Southern Zimbabwe, when the incident occurred.

While on the trek on Monday, April 22, Whittall and his pet dog, Chikara, encountered the wounded leopard. What followed was a tussle between him and the big cat, leaving him bloodied and in need of emergency surgery.

In fact, if it weren’t for Chikara, the former all-rounder might not have survived the brutal attack.

His wife Hannah Stooks Whittall confirmed the incident.

… Guy’s run in with a wounded leopard earlier today. We are very fortunate that he was stabilized at Hippo Clinic by wonderful staff. He was then airlifted from Buffalo Range by Ace Ambulance to Harare, then transferred to Milton Park Hospital for treatment. He is currently awaiting surgery tomorrow morning as he lost a lot of blood today,” she posted

She added: “Our faithful K9 Chikara, his handler and trackers. Chikara coming up tomorrow to the vet after being mauled by the leopard and getting the cat off Guy! Very special boy.”

This is not the first time Whittall is making headlines with an encounter with a wild animals. In September 2013, he woke up only to find the crocodile hiding inches from where he slept.

The 330lbs giant reptile had sneaked into the Humani lodge and spent the entire night lying quietly, just beneath an oblivious Whittall.