An Elephant Killed A Big Game Hunter Who Had Been Following Him For Hours

Ian Gibson was killed when the animal charged at him. WARNING: Graphic pictures of dead animals.

Ian Gibson was a hunter who led big-game safaris in Africa that would take clients on hunts for exotic animals like lions, elephants, and cheetahs.

On Wednesday, Gibson was leading an hours-long elephant hunt in the lower Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe through Chifuti Safaris when the group stopped for a rest.

Gibson and his tracker, Robert, went on to follow the tracks of the elephant to get a "look at the ivory," said a statement from his employers, Safari Classics, on a hunting message board.

Robert reportedly warned that the elephant was in "musth," a dangerous state where the animal has elevated testosterone levels and becomes overly aggressive while having the urge to mate, but Gibson continued on.

After they were about 50-100 yards from the bull, it "instantly turned and began a full charge," the statement said. "At very close range, Ian was able to get off one shot before the bull killed him. The scene was very graphic."

It is unclear if the animal was killed or injured during the incident.

Dave Fulson, co-owner of the Texas-based Safari Classics, confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Gibson had been killed, but declined to comment "due to the number of insensitive replies our Facebook account has received."

"This is a loss of a friend, mentor, and great man," he said.

In the statement, Fulson and co-owner Tim Danklef wrote:

"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."

On their website, Chifuti Safaris wrote that "Safari has been called the last great adventure." They charge $1,595 a day for the 15-day elephant bull hunt.

The site continues:

No hunting destination on earth offers the combination of excitement, drama and danger, as does the Dark Continent. Her wild places and savage beauty hard to describe to one who have not been there, but Africa is the essence of adventure.

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