A hunter who was tracking an elephant that he planned to kill for ivory was subsequently trampled to death by the creature he wanted to destroy.
Ian Gibson, who has been described as a professional game hunter, was in Chewore North, which is located in the Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe, when the incident unfolded.
Gibson was leading the hunt when the bull elephant “began a full charge” that resulted in him being trampled to death. Gibson’s employees Safari Classics have uploaded an online note to Africa Hunting that provides further details surrounding his demise.
Gibson was believed to have been tracking the elephant for five hours alongside one of his clients when they decided to stop for a rest.
It was at this point that Gibson, alongside his tracker, Robert, decided to move closer to the elephant in order to get a closer look at the ivory. They followed the tracks to do this while the client stayed back alongside the game scout at a safe distance.
The tracker has since revealed that the elephant was in “musth,” which is where his testosterone has surged exponentially and his urge to mate is raging. Because of this, he is extremely aggressive. Despite this being the case, Gibson progressed and he was eventually within 50 to 100 meters of the creature.
However, the elephant noticed Gibson and his cohort and then “instantly turned and began a full charge.”
The piece then explained, “Ian and Robert began shouting in order to stop the charge. At very close range, Ian was able to get off one shot before the bull killed him. The scene was very graphic.”
The message, which was written by Safari Classics’ Tim and Dave, then added, “Ian Gibson was a fine man and one of the most experience professional hunters on the African continent. He will be deeply missed by all.”
Another user, who was named Steve, wrote of Ian Gibson, “Good guy; the best, actually. Godspeed, my friend. Godspeed.”
It hasn’t been revealed if the animal was hit by Ian’s shot, or if he was injured or killed in the incident.
New Zimbabwe have reported that another of Chifuti Safaris’ employees died during a hunting incident back in 2012, after Owain Lewis was killed by a buffalo.
[Image via GTWallpaper ]
