Poachers Killed By The Animals They Were Hunting: A List Of Gruesome Stories And Irony

By | December 2, 2020


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(Claude Kleynhans/Instagram)

It never feels good to celebrate the death of another human, but when a poacher is killed by an animal they're hunting, the irony is almost irresistible. It's hard not to cheer on nature when it fights back against its oppressors, especially given how poaching, specifically big game hunting, is destroying the ecosystem.

Claude Kleynhans

Claude Kleynhans was a South African trophy hunter who spent years poaching animals across the continent. His company, Guwela Safaris, offered customers a menu of animals to kill and bragged that each trip guaranteed a "100% success" rate.

That success ended during a buffalo hunt in 2018. On May 22, Kleynhans shot and killed an African buffalo in the northern Limpopo Province of South Africa, but as he and his hunting party celebrated while loading the carcass into their vehicle, they were attacked by another buffalo from the same herd. The animal charged Kleynhans and gored him in the groin, severing his femoral artery and instantly killing him. His sister-in-law told a local news outlet, "He loved what he did. He died doing what he loved."

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(Entropy1963/Wikimedia Commons)

Unidentified Pants And Skull

In 2019, rangers at Kruger National Park in South Africa discovered little more a human skull and pair of pants on the park grounds. They believe a man suspected of poaching rhinos was killed by an elephant before his remains were devoured by a pack of lions.

The man's associates were arrested by rangers shortly after the discovery and later explained that they were attempting to bag a rhino when they were attacked by an elephant. A search of the area yielded not much more of the poacher's remains, and the park's managing executive, Glenn Phillips, warned the public, "Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise. It holds many dangers, and this incident is evidence of that."