Big game hunter crushed to death after elephant falls on top of him

According to a report from South Africa’s News24, a big game hunter was killed when he was crushed to death when a elephant fell on top of him.

Theunis Botha, 51, owned a safari hunting operation that specialized in hunting leopards and lions using trained dogs. According to the report, Botha was leading a hunt when he and the group stumbled on an elephant mating ground.

From News24:

Three elephant cows stormed the hunters and Botha shot at them. A fourth cow stormed them from the side and one of the hunters shot her after she’d lifted Botha with her trunk. The shot was fatal and as the cow collapsed, she fell on Botha.

Via Game Hounds Safaris

As Gizmodo points out, while elephants generally don’t have any predators in the wild, humans remain their most consistent threat. The elephant population in Africa has dwindled from 3-5 million to just over 400,000, mainly due to illegal poaching.

The reaction to Botha’s death was mixed. Comments on his Facebook page range from people giving their condolences to others leaving hateful and unsympathetic messages.

Below is a promotional video from Botha’s website:

Featured image via screen grab

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.