Image: Independent
It’s quite surprising yet ironic that South African trophy hunter, Riaan Naude, has been shot dead using the same weapon he used for hunting wild animals. Reportedly, the 55-year-old hunter, who was infamous for killing lions and elephants, was found dead next to his car in Marken Road, Limpopo province. This area includes part of the exotic Kruger National Park wildlife reserve.
However, it’s not clear yet whether the trophy hunter was killed for encouraging trophy hunting that’s still legal in Africa. After killing the wild animals, Naude used to pose with their carcasses. He was also the founder of a firm, Pro Hunt Africa, which arranged for paid hunting trips to pay customers.
While the reason for the ‘execution-style’ murder is not known, local reports mention that Naude just got out of his car that stopped because of overheating. Soon another car pulled over in the area and two men came out of that other car and shot at Naude. They kept firing until Naude was dead.
Image: NY Post
The suspected assailants even stole his firearm after the murder and fled immediately. The blood was all over the man’s face and head, as per the eye-witness reports.
The controversial recreation of hunting is still legal in Africa. But after the initiatives and protests of various wildlife activists, the South African government set a limit on the hunting of endangered wild animals.
Such endangered animals are black rhinos, wild elephants, and leopards. According to the Humane Society International, around 83 percent of wildlife trophies are non-native species and captive-bread animals, and native species with no conservation management plant. That’s why African trophy hunters organize special hunting trips for customers to enjoy and click photos of the animal carcasses.
But being animal lovers, we personally consider hunting cruel and harmful to the environment. After all, this activity is likely to disrupt the balance of wild animals that are vital for the natural food chain. We hope that soon South African government will take some stringent action against recreational hunting in their country.
Via: NDTV