x
Breaking News
More () »

Hunter charged for illegal elephant hunts

The hunter paid several thousand dollars to Zimbabwean government officials in return for authorization to shoot the elephants inside a national park, according to an indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Thinkstock by Getty

DENVER — A professional hunter from South Africa was charged with federal crimes related to illegal elephant hunts in an indictment unsealed in United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

According to the indictment, Hanno Van Rensburg, 44, sought opportunities to hunt large elephants that frequent the area around Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. He hired a Zimbabwe-based outfitter so that he could lead a hunt inside the park.

Once on the hunt, Van Rensburg shot several elephants. One elephant was killed inside the national park a release from the Department of Justice said.

He paid somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 in bribes to Zimbabwean government officials in return for authorization to shoot the elephants, to kill an elephant inside Gonarezhou National Park, and to have the elephant’s ivory released, the indictment alleged.

Van Rensburg also helped a client in an effort to export the elephant out of Zimbabwe, by agreeing to falsely represent that the animal was killed outside the national park. He also agreed to manufacture and submit a document falsely stating that the client was a resident of South Africa.

He took a Colorado-based hunter on an illegal hunt in the Gonarezhou National Park, according to a release from the Department of Justice. However, that hunter was not identified and a department of justice spokesperson could not say if that person was charged. It is also unclear if it is the same person that Van Rensburg tried to help export the elephant from Zimbabwe.

He's also accused of attempting to sell an illegal elephant hunt to an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent. The defendant also advertised his hunting services by describing in detail his previous illegal hunt in Gonarezhou National Park.

Before You Leave, Check This Out