All animal lovers oppose trophy hunting. It is hard to believe that people enjoy killing endangered animals such as rhinos and lions.
This “sport” has pushed many species to the brink of extinction, but despite controversy and pushback from conservation groups, this kind of hunting remains legal in many places.
But sometimes the animal kingdom has its own sense of justice… and one hunter came to a demise that could be described as “karma.”
Scott Van Zyl, a South African trophy hunter, was prolific. In addition to being a hunter himself, Van Zyl operated a “safari” company where he would take clients on big game hunts as well.
He was looking for lions and cheetahs as well as giraffes and elephants.
In 2017, Van Zyl headed out on one of his hunting trips in Zimbabwe… only this time, he didn’t return.
BBC reports that the hunter set out on his own with a team of dogs and a local tracking dog. The hunter set out on his own to search for crocodiles, and was reported to have gone missing after his tracker dogs returned with him.
They found his footprints near the river bank, and his bag. Local authorities investigated the crocodiles… and found human remains that a DNA test confirmed belonged to Van Zyl.
Many people claimed that he knew what he was doing and believed it to be karma for killing so few animals.
One Green Planet, while not celebrating the hunter’s death, said the case is just more proof of why we shouldn’t allow trophy hunting: it puts the hunters’ lives at needless risk.
“Let’s be honest, Zyl shouldn’t have been hunting in the first place,” they wrote. “We have to ask ourselves if the ‘thrill of the hunt is really worth risking your own life – while deliberately taking others.”
What did you think about this story? Was this hunter right? Please share this story!
