US hunter gored to death by buffalo he was tracking in South Africa

Times

6 days ago

An American big game hunter and millionaire has been killed by the buffalo he was tracking on a hunt in South Africa.
Asher Watkins, a 52-year-old from Texas, was fatally hurt in a 'sudden and unprovoked attack' by the 'unwounded' animal at a reserve in Limpopo province on Sunday, according to the professional hunting operation hosting him.
A statement by CV Safaris added: 'He was tracking it together with one of our professional hunters and one of our trackers. This is a devastating incident, and our hearts go out to his loved ones.'
The Cape buffalo, one of Africa's so-called big five along with the lion, leopard, rhinoceros and elephant, is highly prized by trophy hunters and notorious for its unpredictability, earning the nickname 'black death' for its habit of charging without warning when threatened or wounded. The males can weigh just under a ton and reach speeds of up to 35mph.
On its website CV Safaris warns that Cape buffaloes 'are known to charge unprovoked' and that 'no species on the planet has a more fearsome reputation'. Citing some 200 human deaths attributed to the buffalo in Africa each year, it added: 'The buffalo is regarded as the most dangerous animal to pursue in Africa, let alone the world.'
Hans Vermaak, of CV Safaris, said the attack had shaken the staff who witnessed it. Watkins's brother, mother and step-father had travelled with him to South Africa and had stayed behind at their luxury lodge when he left for the 50,000-acre Bambisana reserve, where hunters can choose between rifles and bows on hunts priced at the equivalent of about £7,500.
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Vermaak added: 'We are doing everything we can to support the family members who are here with us and those back in the United States as they navigate this tragic loss.'
Watkins made his fortune in ranching real estate and was a managing partner at Watkins Ranch Group, an affiliate of LIV Sotheby's International Realty.
His company biography described him as a man who 'spent the better part of his life in the outdoors'. Images on Watkins's Facebook page are predominantly of him and relatives posing beside the bodies of the animals they had killed, mostly birds, but also an antelope and a mountain lion.