Jose Monzalvez was preparing to shoot at a herd of elephants in Namibia when one of them broke free and trampled him to death.
Imagine gearing up for the thrill of a big game hunt, the adrenaline pumping, the anticipation mounting, and then—bam!—an elephant has had enough of your antics and decides to turn the tables. That’s exactly what happened to Jose Monzalvez.
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Our story’s protagonist, Jose Monzalvez, a 46-year-old Argentine oil worker turned big game hunter, was meticulously positioning himself for the perfect shot at a herd of elephants. Maybe he should have read a little more into elephant behavior warnings because one of these majestic giants noticed his every move and oh boy, did it react!
According to the Namibia Press Agency, Monzalvez met his untimely demise near Kalkfeld, Namibia. While he was fully equipped with a hunting permit and was accompanied by another Argentine and three Namibians, he probably didn’t foresee that his day would end under the massive weight of an elephant.
As if this story were straight out of a karmic book of poetic justice, it comes just months after another big game hunter, Theunis Botha, experienced a similarly grim fate. The man was hoisted into the air by an elephant’s trunk, only for the colossal creature to fall and, well, crush Botha.
Theunis Botha Big Game SafarisTheunis Botha (right) on a hunt with a client.
Not stopping there with tales of how large animals seem to be reclaiming their turf, we have another recent incident in India. Here, an entire herd of elephants trampled one poacher and left another severely injured. It’s almost as if these elephants have a secret society where they share strategies to fight back.
Let’s be clear, Monzalvez and Botha were not breaking any laws. Elephant hunting, believe it or not, is legal in some parts of the world, including Namibia. Certain elephant species are not classified as endangered, and hunters argue that the money spent on hunting licenses goes toward conservation efforts. How ironic, right?
So, let’s get real for a moment. Legal permits or not, if you don’t want a magnificent, 13,000-pound creature to turn you into a human pancake, maybe reconsider your life choices. These giants aren’t just an XP boost in a video game or a fancy mount for your living room—they’re sentient beings with, apparently, a keen sense of self-defense.
In any case, the universe has a funny way of balancing the scales. If you poke the proverbial bear, or in this case, an elephant, you might find yourself on the flattened end of the encounter.
