European hunter kills largest African elephant in 30 years as Zimbabwe poachers poison dozens more with cyanide, A European hunter slaughtered one of Zimbabwe’s biggest elephants and then smugly posed next to his record-setting kill — just after poachers poisoned another 40 animals with cyanide.
Experts believe that the elephant shot dead on Oct. 8 near Zimbabwe’s southern Gonarezhou National Park is the largest killed in Africa in at least 30 years. Its tusks weighed a whopping 120 pounds each.
The hunter, reportedly a German national, paid $60,000 to kill the giant, the Telegraph reported.
Park officials confirmed the killing by a “foreign client” and defended the legal hunt as a source of much needed money for communities living near game parks. The elephant, likely between 40 and 60 years old, was shot dead in the Malipati Safari area, where legal hunting channels funds to poor rural communities nearby.
A photo of the hunter proudly locking hands with his tour guide in front of the dead elephant outraged conservationists. The European killer smirked and clutched a rifle while the chaperone grinned and squatted on the downed creature's knee.
The killing was legal but “unethical,” said Johnny Rodrigues of the Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce.The controversy over the elephant brought back memories of the killing of a beloved lion named Cecil in July.
It also came as dozens of elephants were poisoned in another park. At least 40 elephants were poisoned by cyanide in the country's biggest game reserve, Hwange National Park, earlier this month.
The poachers dumped blocks of industrial-grade cyanide watering holes and salt licks, Caroline Washaya-Moyo, a spokeswoman for Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, told The Washington Post.
While they killed dozens of elephants — and other animals that drank the tainted water — the hunters only walked away with seven sets of tusks. Patrol planes likely forced the bandits to flee before they could claim all of their prizes. Some of the elephants were too young to even have tusks.
Experts believe that the elephant shot dead on Oct. 8 near Zimbabwe’s southern Gonarezhou National Park is the largest killed in Africa in at least 30 years. Its tusks weighed a whopping 120 pounds each.
The hunter, reportedly a German national, paid $60,000 to kill the giant, the Telegraph reported.
Park officials confirmed the killing by a “foreign client” and defended the legal hunt as a source of much needed money for communities living near game parks. The elephant, likely between 40 and 60 years old, was shot dead in the Malipati Safari area, where legal hunting channels funds to poor rural communities nearby.
A photo of the hunter proudly locking hands with his tour guide in front of the dead elephant outraged conservationists. The European killer smirked and clutched a rifle while the chaperone grinned and squatted on the downed creature's knee.
The killing was legal but “unethical,” said Johnny Rodrigues of the Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce.The controversy over the elephant brought back memories of the killing of a beloved lion named Cecil in July.
It also came as dozens of elephants were poisoned in another park. At least 40 elephants were poisoned by cyanide in the country's biggest game reserve, Hwange National Park, earlier this month.
The poachers dumped blocks of industrial-grade cyanide watering holes and salt licks, Caroline Washaya-Moyo, a spokeswoman for Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, told The Washington Post.
While they killed dozens of elephants — and other animals that drank the tainted water — the hunters only walked away with seven sets of tusks. Patrol planes likely forced the bandits to flee before they could claim all of their prizes. Some of the elephants were too young to even have tusks.
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