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South Africa Opens Investigation into Texas Millionaire’s Death by Cape Buffalo

Watkins’s death has prompted CV Safaris to cooperate with authorities, intensifying calls for stricter trophy hunting safeguards.

Overview

  • Asher Watkins, 52, director of Watkins Ranch Group and Dallas Safari Club member, was fatally gored by a 1.3-tonne Cape buffalo on August 3 during a safari in Limpopo.
  • The expedition in the Bambisana Concession was organized by Coenraad Vermaak Safaris and included a professional hunter and a local guide.
  • The buffalo, nicknamed “Muerte Negra,” lay hidden in dense vegetation before charging at nearly 56 km/h and killing Watkins almost instantly.
  • CV Safaris has maintained close contact with Watkins’s family in South Africa and the United States, offering support as the probe proceeds.
  • The incident has reignited global debate over trophy hunting ethics and conservation following recent high-profile cases such as Zimbabwe’s “Blondie” lion.