Overview

• Asher Watkins, a 52-year-old Texas entrepreneur and seasoned trophy hunter, was impaled by a 1.3-tonne Cape buffalo during a guided hunt on August 3 in the 20,000-hectare Bambisana concession.
• The buffalo, dubbed the “Black Death,” charged at an estimated 55 km/h and killed Watkins instantly, according to his safari provider Coenraad Vermaak Safaris.
• Watkins’s 16-year-old daughter Savannah and ex-wife Courtney are grieving the loss of a father they describe as both a provider and a close friend.
• Local authorities and the safari operator are investigating the circumstances of the attack and determining whether the animal was subsequently shot.
• The incident has reignited scrutiny of the safety, ethics and conservation claims tied to trophy hunting of Africa’s most dangerous game.