German Hunter Kills Africa’s Biggest Elephant (Photos)

 One of the biggest elephant in Africa has been killed by a Western hunter in Zimbabwe, less than three months after Cecil the Lion was shot dead.  The elephant – thought to be the largest killed in the country for more than 30 years -was shot on October 8th. Its huge tusks weighed 122 pounds and the German hunter reportedly paid £39,000 for a
hunting permit to shoot the bull elephant as part of an organised hunt at Gonarezhou National Park in south-east Zimbabwe.

Images of the elephant, with the hunter and a man believed to be his guide, were shared on social media.

The elephant, thought to be in its mid-40s, is as yet unidentified but Rodrigues believes it may have come from the Kruger Park in South Africa.

Kruger spokesman William Mabasa told Telegraph newspaper:

“If this elephant came up from the Kruger, he would have had to go through all the communities on the edge of Gonarezhou and someon would have seen him. It’s not possible.
“The most disappointing thing is that when a local Zimbabwean kills an animal for food for his family, he is sentenced to between 5 and 15 years in prison but when a wealthy foreign hunter comes in and shoots an animal, he gets away with it. What message are we giving the people?”