They set out to kill – but ended up facing nature’s most ruthless revenge.
From the savannahs of Africa to the wild of Argentina, a string of hunters have discovered the brutal reality that the animals they stalk are not always willing to go quietly.
These are the moments when prey turned predator, when instinct, speed and raw power tipped the balance and left seasoned marksmen with no chance of escape.
Some were trampled beneath the feet of enraged elephants, their tusks and sheer bulk turning the pursuit into a fatal stampede.
Others were gored by the lethal horns of Cape buffalo, known across Africa as ‘Black Death’ for their speed, cunning and explosive aggression.
Even in South America, hunters have been decimated by experienced hunters who tried to turn them into trophies.
These are not just accidents – they are a reminder that in the wild, the line between hunter and hunted can vanish in a heartbeat, leaving the pursuer facing a sudden and violent reckoning.
Here we look at animals that fought back and made hunters their ultimate prey.
Hunting chief gored
In early October 2022, a hunting trip turned deadly for Mario Alberto Canales Najjar, 64, president of the Mexican Hunting Federation.
The well-known lawyer and lifelong big game hunter had travelled to Argentina with three friends to pursue a massive wild buffalo at the Punta Caballos hunting estate, about 40 kilometres from Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos province.
Armed with a .408-calibre rifle, Canales Najjar shot the animal, but it was not enough to bring it down.
The wounded and enraged animal retaliated instantly, charging and goring him with its horns.
The guide intervened, firing five additional shots that finally separated man from beast – but it was too late.
The hunter, gravely injured, succumbed to fractures to his ribs and sternum and internal trauma before reaching hospital.
Investigators quickly raised questions about the legality of the hunt. Documentation later revealed that the group held permits only for small game hunting.
The hunt site had no active licence for buffalo hunting.
Crushed by elephant
In May 2017, Theunis Botha was crushed to death by an elephant that a member of his hunting group had shot.
The 51-year-old South African was leading a group in Gwai, Zimbabwe, when they came across a herd of elephants in Hwange National Park.
Three of the beasts made a move towards them, prompting Botha to fire his gun.
A fourth elephant then came in from the side and whisked him into the air with her trunk.
That was when another member of the group shot the animal. As it collapsed to the ground, it fell on top of Botha, crushing him to death.
According to reports, Botha was a frequent traveller to the United States, where he would often go to convince wealthy clients to participate in trophy hunting.
Botha worked for the Game Hounds Safaris company, whose hunts included using large packs of dogs to drive animals to hunters, who would then shoot them.
He had been a big game hunter for 28 years and began as a college student, according to news reports.
After news of his death broke, friends took to social media to post tributes, with some calling him a ‘legend’, while another said he was a ‘world-class houndsman’.
Although it is not clear which elephant killed Botha, the African bush elephant is the heaviest land mammal and can weigh up to 10,000kg.
Herd’s revenge
Clyde Kleynhans had just shot a buffalo in South Africa and was getting ready to load its carcass into a truck.
But what he did not expect was that a large male from the herd he had attacked would charge at him from out of the bush and gore him to death.
Klyenhans sustained catastrophic injuries in the May 2018 attack and died quickly at the scene.
The beast savagely tore into his femoral artery with its horns.
The former policeman owned a professional hunting firm in the Limpopo province and was heading a hunting party when the incident occurred.
Astonishingly, none of the other hunters were harmed. After his death, Klyeyhans was described as one of the best ‘ethical hunters’ in South Africa.
Several pictures show him with some of the animals he had slain in the past, including several heads of what appear to be buffalo.
Crocodile attack
During a hunting safari in April 2017, on the Zimbabwe-South African border, Scott Van Zyl disappeared, triggering a huge search party.
But when a crocodile was shot after a few weeks, authorities discovered that it had remains of the hunter inside it, confirming that he had been ravaged by the reptile.
Van Zyl had gone on a hunting trip with a local tracker and a pack of dogs before he went missing.
His fellow hunter, who raised the alarm, said they had gone their separate ways in search of crocodiles. Concerns were raised when the dogs returned back to camp without him.
In the search for the hunter, authorities permitted four crocodiles to be killed.
Subsequent DNA testing confirmed that the remains belonged to Van Zyl.
After news of his death was made public, some people paid tribute to the father-of-two, while others criticised the circumstances surrounding his demise.
Killed by bull
Ian Gibson was a well-known game hunter in Zimbabwe, but in April 2015, he met an agonising end when he was trampled to death by an elephant.
Gibson was leading a hunt in the lower Zambei Valley when his group decided to stop for a rest.
According to Gibson’s tracker, they went to follow the animal to get a closer ‘look at the ivory’. When they were about 50-100 yards away from it, the animal suddenly turned and charged at them.
The tracker, called Robert, said he had warned that the elephant was in musth, which refers to a deadly period where elephants have more testosterone than usual.
Paul Smith, who ran Chfuti Safaris, the company that hired Gibson for the hunt, said: ‘We know ‘Gibbo’ shot it once, from about 10 yards away, with a 458 [rifle]. He would never have fired unless he had no alternative.
‘He was a hunter, yes, but he was also a magnificent wildlife photographer and conservationist. He was so experienced, and this is a most unexpected tragedy.’
According to reports, Gibson had been a hunter for 25 years before the tragic incident.
Blindsided attack
In 2012, Owain Lewis, a British hunter, was killed by a buffalo he was trying to shoot in Zimbabwe.
Lewis had been on the hunt for the animal for three days and was hoping to kill it after it was shot and injured by an American hunter he was escorting.
Owen, described as ‘very tough and experienced’ was blindsided when the animal appeared from an undergrowth and charged at him. He also flung him into the air.
Paul Smith, the owner of Chifuti Safaris, said at the time: ‘It turned on him and attacked him and unfortunately the apprentice hunter with him could not shoot the animal as Owen’s body was in the way.
‘It was a very tough fight. Owain’s neck was broken, but the apprentice did manage to kill the buffalo. We are very shocked. This is the first time we have had an incident like this.
‘We have had so many messages of support from people who hunted with Owen. It is a tragedy.’
He worked as a hunter on the private game reserve, but had owned his own ranch before it was confiscated by authorities in 2001.
Mauled by lions
In 2015, South African Matome Mahlale was among a group of five young men illegally hunting with dogs when disaster struck.
The 24-year-old and his accomplices were confronted by two lions who came charging at them.
While three of the men were able to cling to their lives by climbing up trees, another managed to escape.
But Mahlale was not so lucky – he and two of the dogs were mauled to death by the lions.
In the aftermath, the three men who survived the attack were not charged by the Limpopo Province police.
Three years later, in 2018, a suspected poacher was eaten alive by lions near the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The attack was so gruesome that only his head remained, according to the police.
A spokesperson said: ‘It seems the victim was poaching in the game park when he was attacked and killed by lions.’
‘They ate his body, nearly all of it, and just left his head and some remains.’ A loaded gun and ammunition were found next to the man’s remains, according to local media reports.
In 2019, officials in South Africa described how a suspected poacher who was hunting rhinos was killed by an elephant and then eaten by lions. His remains were found in the Crocodile Bridge at the Kruger National Park.
Trampled to death
In August 2017, Jose Monzalves, an Argentinian hunter, was trampled to death by the very elephant he was trying to shoot in Namibia.
The 46-year-old was on a hunting tour in a small town outside Karkfield when the incident occurred.
According to local reports, the beast charged at the group Monzalves was with, catching them by surprise and leaving them no time to set up their weapons.
He was with another Argentine and three Namibians when they were set upon by the animals.
After his death, police said Monzalves, who was well known as a trophy hunter and worked for an oil company, had a hunting permit.
This article by Kevin Adjei-Darko was first published by The Daily Mail on 16 August 2025. Lead Image: Theunis Botha, was crushed to death by an elephant that had been shot by a member of his hunting group.
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