Elephants charge at hunters after one of herd is shot dead

Warning: contains footage some readers may find upsetting

In shocking footage - which was captured in the Nakabolelwa Conservancy in Namibia - a man can be seen taking aim at one of the herd, with another man heard saying: "Hit it between the eyes."

The hunter then shoots, hitting one of the elephants twice, before the other man hits the animal a third time, causing it to stumble to the floor.

This prompts the rest of the herd to start charging at the hunters, and they run away in terror.

Big-game hunter and Omujeve Hunting Safaris owner Corné Kruger told News24 in 2018 that the footage was filmed a few years ago.

He claimed that whilst elephant hunting was a sensitive issue, it is "legal and sustainable."

Kruger told the channel: "There is a small quota of elephants in the area and we only hunt two elephants a year."

He went on to claim that hunting was financially beneficial to the area surrounding Nakabolelwa Conservancy, explaining that they employ "12 people from the community, some of them as game guards", with the funds going to conservation and anti-poaching units.

Responding to the footage, wildlife animal welfare and conservation charity Born Free labelled trophy-hunting an "outdated relic of a colonial-era obsession for killing wildlife for sport."

The organisation's co-founder Will Travers said: “Trophy hunting, the killing of wild animals for 'fun' by a small, wealthy elite, is increasingly rejected by the great majority of caring individuals.

"It deprives the world of some of its most iconic animals by a tiny number of people who have lost their moral compass.

“Trophy hunting is an outdated relic of a colonial-era obsession for killing wildlife for sport. It has no place in modern society, and certainly no role to play in any compassionate conservation programme.

“Wildlife managers need to recognise that every animal counts, and to find ways of funding conservation that do not involve more killing.

Hunters in Namibia require a special license to hunt and several companies in Namibia run hunting safaris for tourists during the hunting season, which runs from March until October.

Whilst foreign nationals don't need a license to take part, a professional hunter accompanies all big game hunts.

African elephants are considered a critically endangered species by the World Wildlife Fund, largely due to habitat loss, illegal wildlife trading and conflict with humans.

There are only an estimated 415,000 African elephants left in the world, having previously numbered three to five million in the last century.

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