immediately stopped and prepared to
follow to try for the tuskless.
Accompanied by the National Parks
scout and their own tracker they
walked a short distance through the
thick riverine bush on the left of the
road before seeing the tuskless cow
elephant down a game path. The other
cow was to their right and the third one
was not seen. As the wind was correct
they approached to about twenty five
metres from the tuskless, watching the
cow on their right the whole time. As
Jaap was going to shoot he knelt down
and was about to take the shot with his
.416 when the tusked cow on the right
suddenly charged them from about
thirty metres. The game scout and
tracker ran back towards the vehicle
and Charl ducked behind a bush just
off the path on the right and Jaap a
large tree on the left. The cow was in
pursuit of Jaap and ran right past him
as he ducked behind the tree. He then
turned to run back towards the road
and vehicle when he tripped on one of
the tree roots and fell down.
Before he could get up the cow had
turned and was on him as he rolled over.
It knelt down on its knees and tried to
impale him with its tusks and pound
him into the ground with its head. He
grabbed hold of one of its tusks and
held on for dear life as he was battered
along the ground for about ten metres.
After grabbing hold of its tusk and
hanging on, he remembers no more of
the incident except for the screaming
of the animal.
In the meantime Charl with a .450
magazine rifle ran back around his
bush and was about five to ten metres
from them with the elephant over Jaap.
He had to shoot, despite the fact that he
was frightened the cow would fall on
top of Jaap and crush him. As its head
was down he shot it in the top of the
head straight into the brain and as it
toppled forward, Jaap managed to roll
forward and sideways out of the way.
Charl then ran forward an