ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Hunters Who Shot And Killed An Elephant Get Charged By The Herd

Hunters Who Shot And Killed An Elephant Get Charged By The Herd

The pair have a close call.

Rachael Grealish

Rachael Grealish

A pair of hunters in Africa felt the anger of the animal kingdom after they shot and killed an elephant, only for the rest of the herd to charge at them.

In a video, that has now gone viral, two men are seen attempting to sneak up on a herd of elephants, in Namibia, armed with enormous rifles.

News24

The footage shows them identifying which of the herd they wish to shoot, then taking aim and firing at the bull elephant - this startle the rest of the herd, who panic and begin to run.

More than one attempt is required to take down the bull, and at one point in the video one hunter can be heard telling the other: "Hit it between the eyes" - referring to the kill shot given to the innocent animal.

The scene soon becomes one of panic for the hunters, as they're forced to flee when the rest of the herd come together and charge towards them. The men then run for safety as the seven-ton animals chase them.

News24

Namiba-based qualified big game hunter Corné Kruger told News24: "There is a small quota of elephants in the area and we only hunt two elephants a year." He added that the shooting done by the pair was 'legal and sustainable'.

He went on to say the video was actually taken 'three or four' years ago, but only recently came to light. "I don't know why it only surfaced now," he said.

Although big-game hunting is highly frowned up in southern Africa, it is legal as long as strict guidelines are followed - otherwise it is considered poaching, which is illegal.

News24

Kruger, who owns Omujeve Hunting Safaris, said hunting benefited the area financially.

He said: "We employ 12 people from the community, some of them as game guards. The funds go to conservation and fund anti-poaching units."

Between 1 January and 31 August this year, a total of 58 elephants have become the victims of poaching in the Kruger National Park alone.

There are only (approx.) 415,000 African elephants left in the wild, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, a number which is quickly declining due to the international ivory trade.

It's not just elephants, rhinos are also poached for their horns with 508 confirmed rhinos dying at the hands of poachers in the same time period.

Extinct: A race against time to save our endangered species. Read more from our campaign here.

Featured Image Credit: News24

Topics: Extinct, World News, Africa, News, Hunting, Poaching, Animals