Trophy hunter who kills endangered elephants and lions 'eaten by crocodiles'

Crocodiles are thought to have eaten a South African hunter after human remains were found inside two animals. Scott van Zyl disappeared last week after he went on a hunting safari in Zimbabwe. Accompanied by a pack of dogs and a Zimbabwean tracker, the professional hunter who organises trips for foreign clients is thought to have been eaten by crocodiles on the bank of the Limpopo River.

31 July 2019 - 21:30

It is believed Mr van Zyl and his tracker left their truck and walked in different directions into the bush. The dogs later returned to the camp without Mr van Zyl, whose belongings were found inside the vehicle. Rescue teams were sent to search for the hunter and helicopters, trackers and divers all scoured the region.

His tracks were later spotted leading to the banks of the river and his backpack was located nearby. Sakkie Louwrens, a member of one of the search teams, said police suspected two Nile crocodiles may have eaten Mr Van Zyl.

“We found what could possibly be human remains in them,” he told The Telegraph. Forensic experts are currently testing whether the remains belong to Mr van Zyl. The SS Pro Safaris website, owned by Mr van Zyl, states the company "has conducted numerous safaris" throughout Southern Africa. These include "elephants in Botswana to the smallest blue duiker in KwaZulu Natal".

It goes on to list buffalo, rhino, lions, leopards and antelopes as targets for hunts. There have been previous incidents in southern Zimbabwe of people being killed by crocodiles.

COMMENTS

DJF3
2 year before
Your all sick. How can you hold animal life over human life? How can you say a crocodile does what it does and is innocent but a human knows better? Your bigots toward species and think we are so better when we are not. Humans are animals. We are predators and omnivores. What we do is natural. Even the pollution and hunting, the devastating shit we do. Its all nature. How is a beehive natural or a beaver dam but a skyscraper is not and a house is not? It was built by hominids who used natural resources to make everything, even the plastics. Its all material found in the universe, which is nature. Condeming this man is like condeming lions for eating gazelle. You people think humans somehow are apart from nature rather than of it. Its crazy. We have no souls or godly aspects that make us better. We are the same as them. We just have higher intelligence but still have the animal urges of sex, violence & food. Obv we should help when we can but don't lose sight of our true nature.
Reply Like (0) (4)
Kee Chan
1 year before
Why not ? At the end of the day - humans still went to dominate and be the top of the good chain so they shot 3 crocs tfor revenge. - at one time - we hunt to eat - not thrill kill - hey he died the way he wanted in a hunt - good riddance
Like (1) (0)
Animals’ lover
2 year before
Thanks God ! Your justice is the right one !
Reply Like (4) (0)
Wendy Reynolds
2 year before
Got his just reward, happy days
Reply Like (1) (0)
master adrian
2 year before
To all crocks: You're HEROS, eat them all, alive! NATURE STRIKES BACK!
Reply Like (4) (0)
Oi
2 year before
- Can’t have a lie in here. - It’s not a lion, it’s a crocodile.
Reply Like (2) (0)
Bigmon Magoomba
2 year before
I have a big smile on my face.
Reply Like (6) (0)
KB
2 year before
Must have been a horrible taste for the poor Crocs
Reply Like (23) (0)
C White
3 year before
Karma's a bitch
Reply Like (20) (0)
Jan
3 year before
Sadly, the poor crocodiles must have been killed to find the remains inside. I have no sympathy for this vile man....just for the animals.
Reply Like (40) (6)
Animal lover
3 year before
Well I think animal can see demonic inside people.
Reply Like (4) (0)
J S
4 year before
Ironic that the remains were found inside two crocodiles. Do the vegans think they vomited them up? No - they were killed by the do-gooders!
Reply Like (9) (10)
Gary Spooner
4 year before
Karma! No sympathy. Killing endangered species cannot possibly help.them
Reply Like (14) (3)
L. White
4 year before
It’s sad that you have so many cruel hateful people posting on this. It’s horrible that someone dudes and the evil things that you people have posted. If you would have bothered to read the complete article you would have seen that what he was doing was helping the animals come back from near distinction. Plus the meat was given to the Village people so they would have food to eat. Shame on you heartless people. I pray that nothing this horrible happens to any of you or your families. Sad what our world is coming to with people like you in it.
Reply Like (10) (30)
Rod B.
4 year before
Totally biased sensationalised headline that ignores the facts of safari hunting in Zimbabwe. 1. Safari hunts target mostly older animals that would otherwise suffer being torn apart and eaten alive by apex predators. 2. The enormous fees paid by safari clients is the main source of funding for anti-poaching patrols and conservation measures, without which most of these species would've been poached to extinction years ago. 3. Meat from killed animals all goes to local villages. Nothing is wasted. 4. Before safari hunting was reintroduced, both lion and elephant numbers had shrunk to double digit figures. Nowadays elephants have rebounded into several thousands and neither species is on the endangered list on Zimbabwe. 5. All of this has been accomplished through a rigorously controlled safari hunting industry, without which many Zimbabwean villages would've disappeared due to lack of ability to support themselves. But let's not let the facts spoil an emotionally based headline.
Reply Like (15) (7)
Ubuntuship
2 year before
I think you need to fact-check this!
Like (0) (0)
michelle taylor
4 year before
The only good hunter is a dead one! Hunt the hunters! I hope that this vile cretin died a slow and agonising death! An eye for an eye!
Reply Like (22) (11)
Trudy
3 year before
Well, "an eye for an eye," from the Old Testement only applied to the murder of a human being..they were allowed to kill and eat animals in that law, if they wanted to. In principle though it would be wrong to needlessly kill for sport , entertainment , or the excitement of just shedding blood.
Like (4) (0)
Tammy
4 year before
Why were the Crocs killed? They were in their own environment doing what they do and it wasn't even known if they ate the guy.
Reply Like (14) (4)
Rozine
4 year before
Ok I’m Good! No More Lions, Tigers, Elephants and Bears Being Targeted and Killed OH MY!!!!!! Well by him anyway!
Reply Like (6) (4)
Mr Tony Alexander
4 year before
If you can’t say something good about someone say nothing, so I say good he is dead. Hope he rots in hell for his cruelty to animals. Touché to the crocs
Like (2) (2)
Mr Tony Alexander
4 year before
If you can’t say something good about someone say nothing, so I say good he is dead. Hope he rots in hell for his cruelty to animals. Touché to the crocs
Like (1) (4)
Mr Tony Alexander
4 year before
If you can’t say something good about someone say nothing, so I say good he is dead. Hope he rots in hell for his cruelty to animals. Touché to the crocs
Like (1) (0)
Mr Tony Alexander
4 year before
If you can’t say something good about someone say nothing, so I say good he is dead. Hope he rots in hell for his cruelty to animals. Touché to the crocs
Like (0) (0)
Mr Tony Alexander
4 year before
If you can’t say something good about someone say nothing, so I say good he is dead. Hope he rots in hell for his cruelty to animals. Touché to the crocs
Like (1) (2)
Gail
4 year before
Oh well eventually what goes around comes around .. karma
Reply Like (6) (1)
Tim
4 year before
Ben, You are totally right. Colin is a turkey and a prick
Reply Like (1) (2)
Rebecca Morgan
4 year before
He got what he deserved a far as I'm concerned, the taker of lives has meet his rightful demise according to the laws of the jungle...You kill for survival not the fulfillment of the ego, not to fill your pockets at the expense of another life. He chose to live where he became a link in the food chain and he paid the price.
Reply Like (17) (2)
Judith
4 year before
When the predator becomes the prey...karmic irony!!
Reply Like (6) (1)
Cheapschotz
4 year before
A croc's gotta take a Shit too
Reply Like (5) (2)
Stephen Clinton
4 year before
Good. Hope all trophy hunters die horrible deaths.
Reply Like (26) (6)
Ben Stark
4 year before
What nobody ever brings up is the money that professional hunters/guides bring into what is a very depressed economy. In Africa, the ONLY thing that matters is whether or not something has value. And like it or not, the animals there have value, and have become one of the biggest sources of income for the country and its citizens. So you may be happy that this guy was killed, but i guarantee that many, many people in that area do not share the same sentiment, because they have just lost a significant portion of their revenue stream.
Reply Like (13) (30)
Different
4 year before
Value? I wonder how much Value would be in an expidition where hunters hunt and kill each other? A prey of equal intelligence and capability, it would certainly be fair. Mounting the head might be a tad bit morbid. Or maybe a headshrinker could add value. That would certainly bring money into the economy.
Like (3) (2)
WW
4 year before
That's true. Wildlife biologists and conservationists both agree that proper wildlife management is essential to species survival in today's world. I suppose all the nay-sayers are oblivious to unknown, indiscriminate poachers and wild meat hunters, but would quickly condemn anyone that pays a bounty to carry out a professional hunt, regardless of the potential benefits to indigenous populations. I do not know the motives of this hunter. Perhaps he was a bad guy, but even bad guys can do good things if the end result improves the lives of animals and the people who live with them.
Like (2) (3)
Ben Stark
4 year before
What nobody ever brings up is the money that professional hunters/guides bring into what is a very depressed economy. In Africa, the ONLY thing that matters is whether or not something has value. And like it or not, the animals there have value, and have become one of the biggest sources of income for the country and its citizens. So you may be happy that this guy was killed, but i guarantee that many, many people in that area do not share the same sentiment, because they have just lost a significant portion of their revenue stream.
Reply Like (7) (18)
Billy Hunt
2 year before
Then we can safely conclude: At least he died doing what he loved!
Like (0) (0)
Colin
4 year before
Oh Fuck off
Like (5) (2)
Oscar
4 year before
I hope he suffered and cried. Now he is crocodile shit. Rot in hell!
Reply Like (23) (9)
Mandy Britton
4 year before
Bit of justice there then..no sympathy but for crocs that ate him poor things now have to shit him out lol..
Reply Like (15) (3)
Roger.
4 year before
I had a feeling that he would meet his match soon after he posted pictures of his kill.God keeps score and his time ran out.How does it feel?.
Reply Like (12) (1)
Lpetty
4 year before
Now they can hang HIS head on a wall
Reply Like (10) (2)
Theo
4 year before
Karma baby!
Reply Like (10) (2)
Kelly
4 year before
Too bad the animals got him back for his trophy hunting
Reply Like (5) (2)
Eileen millar
4 year before
Professional killer not hunter. Killers are mercenarys who are after a trophy, another notch on their belt
Reply Like (15) (2)
Patty ODell
4 year before
poor crocs i bet he tasted like the SHIT that he was!!!
Reply Like (24) (3)
Robert Scheurer
4 year before
Karma at its best baby!
Reply Like (23) (4)
Nikki Sarimanolis
5 year before
Serves him right. Hope the same fate for many other evil people like this who do not respect natures right to life. Karma needs to work alot faster on these kinds of people too.
Reply Like (32) (4)
Susan
5 year before
Just eating the trash!
Reply Like (18) (2)
Cheryl Wagner
5 year before
Karma isn't always a bitch. Sometimes she wears a disguise! Crocodiles 1, trophy hunter -1.
Reply Like (21) (2)
RWB
5 year before
hang on, they killed the poor crocs, who were doing what crocs do, b/c of this POS?? wow
Reply Like (21) (3)
Stephen Pearce
5 year before
Good news, just shows crocodiles are very intelligent
Reply Like (10) (2)
Mel Smith Australia
5 year before
Love it when the hunter becomes the hunted! Good one crocodiles, hope he felt every tooth!!
Reply Like (6) (2)
GM
5 year before
mother karma at her finest
Reply Like (25) (1)