Hunting has been in the news a lot lately, with famous comedian Ricky Gervais taking to social media to blast the hobby and those who participate in it. Now, in a cruel twist of fate, the hunter became the hunted on one sunny day in Zimbabwe.
The professional game hunter, Ian Gibson , was leading a hunt with an American client in the an area called the Chiwore North, which resides in the southern part of the African nation’s Zambezi Valley, when the expedition came upon an elephant bull.
Mr. Gibson was renowned for being one of Zimbabwe’s best hunters of “big game.” He began his career in wildlife working in the country’s National Parks Department. Later, about 25 years ago, he left the government to become a professional dangerous game hunter. Unfortunately for Mr. Gibson, the elephant bull, deep in “musth” – a condition when the animal has a deluge of testosterone and is extremely aggressive – cared little for the hunter’s bonafides.
The hunter and his tracker, Robert, took after the elephant after spotting its tracks in hopes to get a good look at its precious ivory tusks. But when they made contact with the bull, staring him down from withing 100 meters, it quickly turned toward the hunters and charged to kill. The pair were armed with a 458 rifle and got off a close range shot into the elephant, but it wasn’t nearly enough to impede its progress and prevent the animal from maiming Mr. Gibson.