https://www.news24.com/Video/S...e-shot-down-20181017

A video that shows an elephant being hunted in the Nakabolelwa Conservancy in Namibia has surfaced online.

According to Namibia-based Corné Kruger, a qualified big game hunter, the video was shot three or four years ago. "I don't know why it only surfaced now," he said.

Kruger said elephant hunting was a sensitive issue but a "legal and sustainable" practice in Namibia.

The video shows two men with rifles aiming at a herd of elephants at a distance.

One of the men can be heard saying: "Hit it between the eyes," before they both open fire.

Kruger said the elephant that was shot was a bull.

"There is a small quota of elephants in the area and we only hunt two elephants a year," he told News24.

While game hunting may be frowned upon, it is also legal in SA and is guided by laws and regulations.

Benefits for communities

South African Hunters CEO Fred Camphor said each of the nine provinces has its own regulations on hunting.

"Any local citizen who has been declared competent and who legally owns an appropriate rifle may hunt those species available for hunting in terms of the applicable legislation and regulations in the relevant province," Camphor told News24.

"However, any foreigner may only hunt if accompanied by a registered professional hunter with registration in the province or country where the hunt is undertaken," he said.

Kruger, who owns Omujeve Hunting Safaris, said hunting had financially benefitted the communities in the vicinity of the Nakabolelwa Conservancy "hugely".

"We employ 12 people from the community, some of them as game guards," he said.

"The funds go to conservation and fund anti-poaching units," Kruger said.

Camphor added that in South Africa the animals hunted vary from province to province and hunting seasons also apply.

Poaching

"You could fairly freely accept that large carnivores (lion, leopard, hyena) elephant, rhino, and hippo may not be hunted without special permits anywhere in South Africa," he said.

"Some species may only be hunted with special permits because they are scarce and protected: Bontebok, black wildebeest, mountain zebra, to name but a few."

Hunting becomes poaching when legal permission is not obtained.

In the Kruger National Park alone, a total of 58 elephants were poached between January 1 and August 31, 2018.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, there are approximately 415 000 African elephants in the wild and the number is sharply declining due to the international ivory trade.

This year, 508 rhino were poached, compared to 691 for the same period in 2017. The critically endangered animals are poached for their horns.

All things considered, a poor hunt set-up for elephant IMHO. Perhaps the area lacks any kind of brush or vegetation cover, but if not, the "hunt" should have taken place once the eles were in denser cover.

how do you hit one BETWEEN the eyes on a broadside shot?? WTH?

They can get riled and come after you, for sure.

BH63

I do not like that kind of situation for various reasons.

There is very little "hunting" in that. Feels more like how we shoot feral goats here in NZ.

The idea of 2 guys shooting at the same time is not my idea of a fair hunt.

Having such a large herd of elephants spread out over such a wide area is too risky. Being charged from 3 directions - 120 degrees is not cool!

It is a lot more fun when charged by 3 or 4 cows in thick bush at 4 meters!

As long as it was a legal hunt I am not going to criticize. Having never hunted Elephant my opinion means absolutely squat but to me that is not what I envision when I think of Elephant hunting. I want to be in the brush and get close

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanamich:
All things considered, a poor hunt set-up for elephant IMHO. Perhaps the area lacks any kind of brush or vegetation cover, but if not, the "hunt" should have taken place once the eles were in denser cover.

Why?

Hunting involves all types of terrain, and one takes what one gets.

quote:

It is a lot more fun when charged by 3 or 4 cows in thick bush at 4 meters!

Have you tried it? - Would you consider it to be fun if things went wrong and you were forced to shoot one or more to save someone's hide?
At your quoted 4 meters (an elephant's length) it doesn't offer much choice.

At times, shit does happen but asking for it to happen doesn't make sense.

He might have been brain washed by Mark Sullivan!

Glorifying stupid showmanship, that has absolutely no place in hunting

Leave it to Naki expertise

quote:

He might have been brain washed by Mark Sullivan!

Cut him some slack Saeed - even Mark Sullivan knows where to draw the line.

What a bunch of clowns! Let's just shoot into a breeding herd, shall we?

quote:

Originally posted by ijl:
What a bunch of clowns! Let's just shoot into a breeding herd, shall we?

From reading posts you have made in the past, it seems you have quite a bit of experience, and more than most of us that post here.

Zimbabwe and many Zimbabwe outfitters promote the hunting of "tuskless". What is the difference in shooting a tuskless out of a breeding herd and shooting a bull out of a breeding herd? Are outfitters and hunters who shoot tuskless a "bunch of clowns" in your mind?

This is not meant to be a gotcha question but one of sincere curiosity. Thanks.

PS: I have never shot a cow and am not trying to justify anything in my own mind.

Kruger tells his client to hit it between the eyes. At that point, the target bull was facing towards them. The bull turns, and it sounded to me like the PH told him to shoot for the heart-lung area, and that appears to be the area of bullet impact. It does not look like a case of, "shooting into a breeding herd", as only one animal was targeted. As for two men shooting at the same time, it is commonplace for a PH to follow up the client's shot if the PH deems it necessary. That would seem to be prudent on a body shot.

The hunt per se is now being investigated by Namibian authorities as an "unethical hunt.

Jeff

What Tim said. I just watched it again. The client shot 2 times and both times the bull was clear. The PH's shot to my mind was certainly warranted. I don't see anything unethical in the video.

Mark