Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa PH killed in Zim by Elephant

Fell on him. Shows he was very close.

A freak accident,what a terrible way to go.

Prayers for Theunis Botha family and for the person who tried to save him.

Talk about bad luck!

I'm just stunned at the fact the elephant "picked up with his trunk". How frightening must that be?

I wonder if we find out the PH was trying turn them without firing and this group was just in foul mood.

Probably figured he was a goner at that point.

Isn't that what happened to Ian Gibson,IIRC the elephant that killed him was a bull in musth. Could it be the same situation here?

just read news they said he was a trophy hunter maid it sound like it was his fault that the thing killed him f in news people have to use a tragety to make a liveen by changing the facts

I just returned from a hunt in Namibia. Although I was hunting plains game the outfit I hunted with specializes in Elephant hunts. This was a topic around the campfire at night. According to the PH's in camp the PH and his client were the victims of an unprovoked charged by three cows. The PH killed the first with a brain shot and turned the second with a shot to it's head. The third cow picked him up with her trunk and the client then brained that elephant. Unfortunately, she fell on top of the PH. One of the PH's in our camp showed me the photo of the dead cow laying on top of the PH. Very sad situation.

It is certainly a tragic and regrettable incident.

However, it is called dangerous game hunting for a reason and there are risks inherent in the process. If one hunts dangerous game, one must be prepared to accept the potential consequences. If those consequences are unacceptable, either limit your hunting to non dangerous animals in non dangerous areas or stay home and watch DG hunts on the Outdoor Channel.

I have hunted DG on multiple safaris, have taken the Big Five and just returned from a tuskless cow hunt in Zim. The risks are always there. There were times on several hunts when my survival was in doubt, yet the thrill of the hunt was so intense that I have returned year after year. I take reasonable precautions and make sure my Trust is up to date. I practice relentlessly with my rifles and keep fit. Still, the risk is always there. You pay your money and you take your chance.

In response to the OP who said the fatal encounter was "very close", one does hunt elephant "very close". If you shoot one at 100 yards, you can always say that you "killed an elephant". But you can never honestly say that you " hunted an elephant".

BTW, I don't want to start an off topic debate, but I rank the elephant at the top of the Big Five in terms of dangerousness. Tuskless cows, cows with calves and bulls in musth are particularly nasty.

May Mr. Botha rest in peace.

Win, I agree with you on the danger factor. When I did a tuskless cow I was glad I had my .500 NE Double. Good to have some extreme firepower if needed.

I'm always amazed that you shoot elephants at closer range than any other big game.

I'm amazed they let you get that close, especially as you are usually accompanied by a PH and one tracker.

If you hunted white tailed deer the way you hunt elephant, or even the way you track Buffalo, you'd never see a deer.

Wow what a traumatic experience for the hunter. Prayers for the PH, his family and friends. If I ever do make it to Africa elephant would not be on the menu for me as I have no desire to take one but my god that would be a thrilling hunt. It seems that PH's in Africa this year have been having some tough and deadly luck.

Elephants are likely the most intelligent of all game animals. Possibly the equivalent of man, without the predatory instinct.

Haven't hunted them, never will, just from general reading/understanding.

You pays your money and takes your chances, and when they co-ordinate.... you lose, if they are 3 and you have only two in the chamber.

I love Carter facing down elephants and lion on WAR. Guy knows his chit. He's probably gonna die doing it... critters don't always follow the "rules".

I wouldn't say they let you get close. If they know you're there during the final stalk, odds are high you won't have a clean shot.

Elephants are very dangerous, whether close or far, because they're smart and capable of killing people quite efficiently. I've had them come back a long distance to try to stump us into the dirt, when they felt pressed as we tracked them. Getting close without getting into the kind of danger you can't resolve is the reason PHs experienced with DG are the only way to go. YMMV

I grew up hunting whitetail. I have shot 2 elephants and videotaped my BIL shooting 2 more. There is no comparison between the 2 hunts or hunting. They are simply too far apart. Other than wingshooting, the only hunting I get serious about now is elephant. It's that addicting...This Ph was by all accounts a nice guy and expert hunter but with elephants, things can go south in a heartbeat.
RIP