Pioneering hunter dies in freak elephant shooting accident

A South African big game hunter was crushed to death by an elephant after the huge beast was shot and fell on top of the father-of-five.

Theunis Botha's hunting group wandered into a breeding herd of elephants in Gwai, Zimbabawe on Saturday, sparking a shooting and charging frenzy.

Botha fired at one of three female elephants who stampeded towards his group of wealthy clients, South African news site Netwerk24 reports.

But Botha, 51, was blindsided by a fourth cow that wrapped its trunk around the hunter and lifted him into the air.

Another member of the group shot the elephant, halting the attack, however the large cow fatally crushed Botha as it came crashing to the ground.

Botha's hunting company specialised in using packs of highly trained, fearless dogs to drive lions, leopards, boar and deer into the path of high paying guests.

He operated the company, located on the fringes of Kruger National Park, with his wife, Carike.

A vast gallery of images on Botha's website shows the experienced hunter pictured with countless dead leopards, lions, elephants and other wildlife.

The big game hunter's empire included private shooting ranches in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia.