Elephant Tramples Ivory Hunter To Death

The hunter became the hunted. Ian Gibson was leading an ivory hunt in the lower Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe, when the bull elephant he had been tracking suddenly turned on the expedition  According to the Huffington Post, Gibson’s tracker indicated the elephant was in “musk”, which is a condition where the animal’s urge to mate goes into overdrive and it becomes aggressive. Gibson ignored the danger and continued pursuit. The bull elephant eventually charged and trampled Gibson to death.

Gibson's employers, Safari Classics, writes on their website

Dear Chifuti Safaris clients,

It is with deep sadness to announce the passing of Chifuti Safaris professional hunter Ian Gibson. Ian was tragically killed by an elephant bull earlier today while guiding and elephant hunt in Chewore North (lower Zambezi Valley).

The details are just starting to emerge as we write this. However it appears that Ian and his client had been on the tracks of an elephant bull for approximately 5 hours when they decided to take a break and allow the client to rest. Feeling he was quite close to the elephant, Ian and his tracker Robert continued to follow the tracks in hopes of getting a look at the ivory as the client, stayed with the game scout to rest. Robert indicated the bull was in musk. They eventually caught up to the bull, spotting him at about 50-100 meters. The bull instantly turned and began a full charge. Ian and Robert began shouting in order to stop the charge. At very close range, Ian was able to get off one shot before the bull killed him. The scene was very graphic.

Ian Gibson was a fine man and one of the most experienced professional hunters on the African continent. He will be deeply missed by all…

The Huffington Post reports that it is unknown whether the elephant survived or not.