“Dallas ranch realtor” and GOP donor Asher Watkins caught the business end of a Cape Buffalo’s horn on Sunday during a hunt in South Africa’s Limpopo province, the Dallas Express reports.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we confirm the tragic death of our client and friend Asher Watkins,” wrote Afrikaner game guide Hans Vermaak of Coenraad Vermaak Safaris in a statement confirming that the 53 year-old hunter had become the hunted. “This is a devastating incident, and our hearts go out to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time… This is a deeply traumatic incident for all involved. The family and our team members who were present at the time are understandably shaken.” Well yeah, it must’ve been pretty freaking gruesome to see.
The Express writes “Watkins was reportedly on a hunting safari in South Africa’s northern Limpopo Province on August 3, with a professional hunter and a tracker from the company. Then, an ‘unwounded’ buffalo he had been tracking turned in a ‘sudden and unprovoked attack’ and gave him injuries that proved fatal. He was tracking a 1.3-ton Cape Buffalo, sometimes known as the ‘Black Death’ for its dangerous reputation,” but it’s unclear if “The Black Death” refers to the species as whole or the specific individual Cape Buffalo, like a beast from a Rudyard Kipling story or the lions from the 1998 Val Kilmer classic The Ghost and the Darkness. That movie’s fucking awesome.
Also unclear is whether it was quick or if Watkins had a few painful Snows of Kilimanjaro-type hours.