Gored, 'then it was all over'
13/02/2007 23:19 - (SA)


Marietie Louw-Carstens, Beeld


Mokopane - A weekend visit to a game farm in Limpopo ended in tragedy when a man was gored to death by a buffalo.

Willem Kotze, 36, died shortly after a buffalo bull on Richmond game farm in the Musina district attacked him with its horns and hooves.

"Everything was over in a flash," said his brother-in-law, George Hudson, on Tuesday.

Kotze and his family were on a weekend visit to the farm.

Hudson said the group went in search of game on Friday afternoon, on a game-viewing vehicle.

"It was our first visit to the farm," said Hudson.

The group drove to the buffalo camp, which has an electrified fence.

Struck with razor-sharp hooves

Hudson and Kotze were standing on the back of the vehicle and a herd of buffaloes was grazing nearby.

Hudson said: "A buffalo suddenly stormed out of the herd and mounted the back of the vehicle with its front legs.

"I luckily managed to dive out of the way, but Willem was too late."

Hudson said the buffalo struck Kotze several times with its razor-sharp hooves.

The visitors moved out of the camp immediately, and called for help.

Hudson said: "Everything was over very quickly. We couldn't even get him to a hospital."

Kotze worked for a transport company in Mokopane and was divorcing his wife.

Superintendent Maggy Mathebula, commander of Musina police station, confirmed that a post-mortem was due to be conducted on Kotze in Musina on Wednesday.

A police officer said the buffalo in the camp were used to people moving around and usually were docile.

Bull wasn't put down

The owner of the farm, who lives in Pretoria, could not be contacted for comment on Tuesday.

The buffalo was not put down after the goring.

Hudson said on Tuesday that the bull, and the rest of the herd, were in the veld, which was their natural habitat.

A wild animal remains unpredictable, he said.


News24

Your double rifle ....never leave home without it. This is sad news, but only shows the unpredictable behavior of buffalo and other wild animals.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI

Buffalo "mounted the back of the vehicle". NEVER wear "Cow in Heat Scent" without carrying your weapon!

I thought ranch buffalo were tame to the point of being unsporting to hunt?

Like the story says: "A wild animal is unpredicatble"--be it in Tanzania or South Africa or anywhere else for that matter.

I betting the soon to be exwife was involved.

JD