Roy Sparks - Video of Leopard Mauling.

[Roy Sparks]

Some of you gents probably seen the video of me been nailed by a leopard but very few of you know the true story of what happened on that day.

Firstly if I could explain , I had no idea that a cameraman was to be part of the crew !! I had been requested to help out a pro-hunter who was running out of time for his client to take a leopard over bait.When we met early hours of the morning before the hunt I was informed of the cameraman.

Due to the sensitivity of leopard hunting with hounds in those early days I was fearful this material might land up in the wrong hands and used to damage what I was trying to establish.I told the pro-hunter I was not happy about the hunt being filmed.After a brief discussion with the client and cameraman I was assured the video would be exclusively for the hunting clients personal home use.In terms of that I agreed for the cameraman to film the hunt.

Well as it turned out I got nailed that morning by the male leopard and it was all captured on film. I spent 6 months to make a full recovery but continued hunting as from the next day, albeit my arm being in a splint as I had my own clients in camp wanting 2 leopard.I got paid US$ 250.00 for catching the leopard that mauled me and an unedited copy of the mauling.

The real damage only occured later.Friends of mine attended the SCI convention in Vegas and I was informed that these guys had gone and producd a movie of this entire encounter.It was released in 1997 and they sold over a thousand copies in three days straight from the booth. To say I was dissapointed is an understatement !!

The real shock came when I eventually bought a copy myself of the production. I was absolutely disgusted in the way the TRUE EVENTS as they happened had been conveniently edited to cover up what had happened. Instructions by me telling the client not to shoot when he did were conveniently dubbed.I was also almost shot by the pro-hunter and the report of that gun shot was conveniently blamed on me.Though the .458 round almost took my head off. Then the PH was given credit for saving my life which is also a lot of BS.

Anyway I did not sign a model release and strictly speaking what they did was unlawful.They made a bunch of money out of that video while making an ass out me at the same time.In fact they still selling that video. I have not gained at all except in experience.

I met a high profile lawyer in Tuscon who was connected to SCI and he told me I had no recourse as the statute time had expired.

Well I have kept the unedited copy of this video safely and I now intend to produce my own DVD from this material in order to relate the true story step by step of what happened that day. If they venture to act against this, then I will have achieved my goal, I welcome them to take legal action against me.

Any party interested in getting involved is welcome to contact me with suggestions.I intend marketing this video and a reliable agent is welcome to appraoch me in this respect.

Roy Sparks.

[Benny G]

Roy,
You are correct in stating that the others tried to blame you for all of the misshaps and safety issues during that hunt. I hope that you will make your copy available to all of us here, as the entire hunt would be very interesting, I'm sure. I'm surprized that you could follow dogs after having that pistol shot in your ear!! If it's any cosolation to you, my copy is pirated, and I would love the opportunity to purchase one from you.
Benny

[Big Horn Posse]

Wow! I have seen that video! Crazy that was you! Infact funny story here. I saw that video a few years back and about a week later my dogs trailed a cougar into a bear den in a very nasty spot. The taxidermist I was working for went with me to get the dogs out. When we were searching in the rocks to see if we could see the cougar or bear for that matter (found some fresh bear scat) I mentioned to my boss as he was searching in the rocks with a flashlight about the leopard mauling I had seen on video a week before just to see if he would get nervous looking in the crevaces. Anyways, I can't believe that was you! Small world! Glad you are recovered

[Roy Sparks]

Benny good for you - " You a good pirate " , those A-Holes really screwed me over big time .I was told by the South African distributor of that movie they should have been paying me around US$ 4.00 per copy as a royalty. Well I got squat. Still got my brains though luckily and a bit more wisdom. There a few things I would do differently in a situation like that. Done plenty more cats since that time, had some close calls but not chewed again yet and no clients injured. Not altogether bad after 233 leopard.

I just want to set the record straight and hopefully earn a little something on the side.

How your hounds going , I am very interested in your hounds they seem to be what I like. Would like to start saving some cash to make a trip over to visit with you guys for a spell and look those hounds in the eye and hopefully watch them work. I have a ten year business visa to the US, so its just a matter of saving a bit of money and getting over there.Where can I see some pictures of your hounds ?

When this movie is done I'll be setting up a second one of some older VHS recorded hunts that are interesting. I will sign your copy for you so you know where it comes from - ( Another Pirate )

Best regards,

Roy Sparks.

[Benny G]

Roy -
I don't have a lot of pictures available. (Pirate attitude) I have pictures of some pups that are bred very similar to mine on this forum under the classified section - dry ground pups. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you previously, I've been working more than normal to pay for the trip to Swaziland. I can't make anything happen over there with you this year, as the particulars for the trip have already been arranged. We will be in Johanesburg overnight on I believe July 15. If you get to the U S sometime let me know. I would enjoy meeting you and visiting. Most of the time I can make time for small trips here and there.

Benny

[Roy Sparks]

Hi Tessa ,

Hope you didn't find it to funny watching me doing a jig with that cat. All my buddies thought it was a hell of a joke. I hadn't been in the doctors surgery long before guys were popping in to take a look and pass some funny joke at my demise. The bush telegraph works real quick here in Africa. It took at least 3 hours to get me there then another two before the doctor could get started on me. Lots of antibiotics orally and injected into my butt alongside the leopard claw marks on my right butt cheek.

The wounds had to stay open for a week and were scrubbed raw every day with a stainless steel brush - that was not fun. Anyway I got some missing muscle and tendons that had to be cut away in my left wrist but otherwise I am fine.

If your cougars often go into caves there get some hard teriers to get there butts out and onto the rocks or into a tree.

Still waiting to hear about that hound Liam in your pictures, his a nice looking hound.

Take care now and dont go poking your nose into to many holes, just now you get hurt by a big Blackie , I think one of those bears will hurt you badly.

Kind regards,

Roy Sparks.

[BlacktailStalker]

Thats pretty wild, and ignorant of them to do, but so typical of people.
Glad you made out ok.
Hopefully you can reveal how it really unfolded and shine the light on those clowns and make a buck or two at the same time.

[Big Horn Posse]

Roy,

I left you a reply post about Liam on the post you asked about him. The April Fool thread you had up. Good idea with the terriers. I know they use them a lot in Ireland. Gritty little buggers. Fortunately I have only had the dogs trail anything into the Box Canyon a couple times. It is harder for a human to get in there than anything, especially when there is snow on the ground. Can easily slip and get a leg caught in the rocks. It took us 2 days to get the dogs out of that canyon as it was dark by the time I figured out where they were bayed up. Thankfully, my boss was more than willing to take the day off work and help me go in the next morning and gather the sore, tired and barked out dogs. It is funny how everyone wants to go along with you on a hunt until you have to go back in the next day to the nasty spots. I usually don't get many volunteers then. Here are some photos of where the dogs were. I have it on video too, but have yet to get any of my videos uploaded to the computer.

[Roy Sparks]

Tessa ,

That sure is a wild place there. I know only to well about retrieving lost hounds after a hunt. While everyone is partying at the success of the hunt you out searching the collars and looking for hound tracks on roads to collect in valuable hounds after a long tough day out.

I almost broke my 375 H&H on a clients nut once after having held a big tom leopard at bay on the ground in thick stuff for an an hour and a half. While he was trying to get there my hounds were taking a pounding holding that cat for him. I had hounds with all types of body bites , carrying legs and bleeding. The idiot was relaying messages on the radios that if we did not keep the cat there he wouldn't pay for the hunt.

In the end when he arrived with his pro-hunter he was to S- scared to walk in and finnish the cat . You sometimes have to walk in right on top of a leopard bayed on the ground in thick stuff. You just cant see them for a safe shot till you virtually over them.
My hounds really crowd the cat and like to bite his ass so you got to be careful not to hit them , especially with an exiting bullet.

Well this guy we had to pull in by his belt as he had asked us to keep the cat for him to shoot. The hounds did just that so we helped him out to bring his side of the deal. Fortunately his belt was well made and held because he was resisting quite admirably.

When the dust all settled , well it seemed as though he had even trailed the leopard and caught it himself.

The last straw came while we were setting him up for pictures with his trophy. One of my older veteran hounds came and lay down next to the leopard and started to lick his own wounds and the blood on the cat. This A - Hole just up and and kicked my old Trail in the ribs with his hunting boot and told him to get the F - away from his cat.

Things almost got out of hand . I just took the pro -hunter one side and told him gently if his client or any other of his clients ever did that to one of my hounds again he'd be shipping the client out with the trophy consignment.

Got lots to tell but should leave it for my book.

Take care - Roy.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Roy you are a better man then I am for walking away from that situation. One thing I make sure I do when I have a fat out of shape client with an attitude like that is let them know what a peice of crap they are and the never deserve the trophy in the first place. I tell them about the over weight 60 year old woman that I had taken resently that did twice the hike on snowshoes in 3 feet of snow in steeper country and almost beat the hounds to the tree. I am looking forward to your book and video.
Doug

[Ike]

ditto on what chilcotin hillbilly had to say Roy, and I'll sure buy the video and book when you put it out as well. Good luck and if I can help in any way let me know!

ike

[Roy Sparks]

Thanks to all of you.

Ike are are you in anyway involved in video production at all ?

I have a friend in Huoston , owner of CSE Outdoors ( Tim Gonzales ) and he has offered to do a reproduction for me. However I'd like guy's to punt this movie when it's released, let me know.

Regards - Roy.

[Ike]

I did produce a couple hound videos, did the dog training, shot the film, did the editing, did the packing artwork and marketing as well. However, I will say I am not in video production or marketing. A person either needs to do the work themselves or find a young mind with a fast computer to do the work. I do have a background in graphic and commercial art, and that knowledge plus my stubborn ways helped me get through that stuff. But believe me, if a guy buys a quality camera, big computer, software, and gains the knowledge to put all that stuff together he'll be in the hole when he gets finished as far as money goes.........

Ike

[Liz ODell]

Roy is the video you are talking about called 'Leopard Charge'?
I have it around somewhere but haven't watched it in a while. All I remember is that you seemed to be rightly concerned about your dogs, they are in there getting hammered while the dude is back there twiddling his thumbs. You got hurt because you were sick of hearing your dogs taking it and no one doing anything about it...at least thats my take on it.
Anyway hope you get it all settled, I wish there were more leopard hunting videos available out there. We did talk to an outfit at the Rocky Mountain Elk Show that hound hunts leopards had some pretty good short video and said thery were in the process of making a longer one for sale.
I've never caught a big cat in a hole but plenty of bears in caves, culverts and mineshafts...I couldn't imagine having to wait for a dude to get there to take care of it, but I guess thats one of the reasons guiding does not appeal to me.
Maybe one day I'll make it to Africa to see some cat hounding of a variety of species...I don't have an interest to hunt unless theres a dog on it! Good luck over there!