The LionIn 2015, a 24-year-old South African man named Matome Mahlale entered a private farm with four other men and their dogs. The group intended to hunt, but their actions were illegal because they did not have a license to do so.After 9:00 PM, the men were surprised by two lions that had charged after the group. One of the men was able to run for cover while three of them took refuge in a tree. However, Mahlale was neither as fortunate nor as fast as the others. He and two of the hunting dogs were tackled by the lions and ultimately mauled to death. Illegal hunting has been a growing problem for police in South Africa, especially given the limited resources available to catch those responsible. The vast territory only adds to the problem, with one official stating that it would be impossible to prevent all illegal hunting.The death of Mahlale happened shortly after Cecil the Lion was killed by an American hunter. So there was little support or sympathy for the illegal hunter, with some describing the event as a lion’s attempt to “turn the tables.”2 The ElephantIn 2015, 55-year-old Ian Gibson was also an experienced hunter leading a hunt for Chifuti Safaris when he was killed by an animal. Accompanied by an American client in Chewore North in lower Zimbabwe, Gibson spotted a young bull elephant in the distance and decided to pursue the animal. A colleague of Gibson’s described the elephant as being in musth, which is a state in which the elephant’s urge to mate goes into overdrive and causes the animal to become extremely aggressive. At one point, Gibson got as close as 30–50 meters (100–150 ft) when the bull elephant turned and charged him. Gibson was able to fire one shot at the elephant, but the animal continued toward Gibson, eventually trampling him to death. The client with Gibson was unharmed. 1 The TigerIn the Russian Far East in 1997, Vladimir Markov, an experienced poacher, was making his way through the snowy winter mountains in search of an exceptional kill. One cold day, he raised his rifle and fired at a tiger that refused to die.The tiger, wounded and bleeding, escaped into the wilderness but soon returned. In a scenario as bizarre as Hollywood could imagine, the tiger staked out Markov’s cabin, destroying anything and everything that had Markov’s scent. After doing so, the tiger waited for the man’s return.It has been reported that the tiger was systematic, calmly waiting for up to 48 hours. When Markov finally emerged from the woods and walked toward his cabin, the tiger attacked, dragged Markov into the bushes, and ate him. The events of that day inspired the book, The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant, which detailed the animal’s chillingly premeditated hunt and kill.

Choi!
The hunter has really become the hunted.