The African bush remains a dangerous place. Professional hunter Scott van Zyl, 44, was apparently killed earlier this month by crocodiles on the Limpopo River in southern Africa. The manner of his death was confirmed by DNA, after an extensive search by authorities and fellow hunters.
By all accounts that I’ve read, van Zyl ran a good outfit and was committed to ethical and sustainable hunting. He had a family and friends that loved him and are heartbroken at his loss — and surely it was a horrible way to go. A tip of the hat to a hunter gone on ahead.
Joint press statement Issued by the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guide Association (ZPHGA), Limpopo Hunters Liaison Forum (LHLF) and the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) with consent from Scott van Zyl’s family.
ULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE & JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – The safari fraternity is mourning the loss of Scott van Zyl (44) after the Heritage Protection Group (HPG) confirmed the positive results of the DNA tests conducted by Authorities on the identity of the remains found in the stomachs of three Nile crocodiles.
Van Zyl went missing on April 7 while assisting Zimbabwean operator, Tokkie van der Merwe, on a safari in the Chikwarakwara area of the Beitbridge East district bordering South Africa.
This is how the search and rescue operation unfolded:
Saturday, 8 April 2017:
As soon as he realised that Van Zyl was missing, Van Der Merwe contacted the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association (ZPHGA) as well as the Limpopo Hunters Liaison Forum (LHLF) and activated a search and rescue operation. The ZPHGA/LHLF then contacted various operators in the area on both sides of the South African and Zimbabwean border for ground and air support.
Before last light, a group of local fishermen directed the ground team to Van Zyl’s backpack lying on the Zimbabwean bank of the Limpopo River.
Sunday, 9 April 2017:
Helicopter pilot, Nick La Grange, surveyed the area without finding further clues to Van Zyl’s disappearance.
The effort was bolstered by ground teams from the South African side of the Limpopo River. Nothing further could be established in the interior of the area with all solid clues pointing to the Limpopo River.
A request was made to secure the services of a Sub-Aqua Team to search in the Limpopo River itself.
Monday, 10 April 2017:
Members and volunteers of the various organisations involved in the search and rescue operations assisted by providing the search parties with much needed fuel and equipment, relieving the ground crews, and transporting the Sub-Aqua Team from Bulawayo.
The convoy met up with regional representatives of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police in Beitbridge, before proceeding to an accessible point close to the scene, arriving well into the night.
The hunting fraternity across the world was called upon to support the search and rescue efforts financially.
Tuesday, 11 April 2017:
All efforts from both sides of the Limpopo were focused on assisting the Sub-Aqua team in a comprehensive search of the Limpopo River over approximately 300 meters around the site where Van Zyl’s backpack was found. The divers and support teams failed to turn up any new evidence.
Wednesday, 12 April 2017:
The Sub-Aqua team continued underwater grid searches throughout the morning. This was discontinued at lunch-time, where after a joint decision was made by representatives of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) and the Beitbridge Rural District Council (BBRDC) to permit the shooting of three Nile crocodiles as part of the investigation. Two crocodiles were shot late on Wednesday afternoon.
Thursday, 13 April 2017:
The crocodiles were recovered and post mortems were conducted at the scene. Stomach contents were collected and taken by the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for forensic and DNA analysis.
Friday, 14 April 2017:
A third crocodile was recovered and the post mortem produced the toe-cap of a CAT boot similar to that worn by Van Zyl when he disappeared.
After communication with Van Zyl’s family, it was agreed that everything possible had been done to locate Scott and that the search was called off, pending the results of the forensic and DNA analysis.
Thursday, 20 April 2017:
Test results from South African authorities confirmed that samples from the stomach contents of the harvested crocodiles matched the DNA of Van Zyl.
“Our hearts go out to Scott’s wife, Suré, and their two children. Scott was a true family man who lived life to the fullest. He will be remembered for the passion he had for his profession and life in general,” says Phillip Bronkhorst, chairman of the Limpopo Hunters Liaison Forum (LHLF).
Van Zyl was the owner of SS Pro Safaris, situated in the Lephalale district of Limpopo, South Africa, and served on the LHLF’s executive committee. He was a keen hounds man and passionate about sustainable utilisation and especially leopard research. He will be sorely missed by colleagues and clients from across the globe.
Craig Rullman says
Eyelids of Morning is a great tome on crocs. I stray from anything that resembles a dinosaur.
Betty says
He followed the Elephant’s Child to the great, gray-green greasy Limpopo River.
What a sad story.
Black Tyrone says
Kipling
John C. says
I don’t remember the provenance, but I once read that crocs are the only terrestrial animal that doesn’t differentiate humans from other prey. Apparently, we just represent available protein to them, which makes them incredibly dangerous. They kill more people in Africa than any other predator. 100’s and possibly 1,000’s annually.
From Wiki – “Since a majority of fatal attacks are believed to be predatory in nature, the Nile crocodile can be considered the most prolific predator of humans among wild animals.”
John C.
Matthew says
I heard that of Alligators here in the US also don’t differentiate humans from food, either.
I thought Hippos killed the most people in Africa. Shrug
john roberts says
The article says crocs kill more humans than other predators. Hippos are still the number-one killers, I believe. Actually number three, after other humans and number one, mosquitoes, making crocs number 4.
Matthew says
Okay, Predators as oppose to other animals.
Herbivore’s are a lot more dangerous than people think. Hippo’s kill a lot, bulls are dangerous, and Moose are mean.
JimC says
Moose ARE mean. I had a friend who had to shoot one in his driveway in Anchorage. Fixing to charge him.
deuce says
Big herbivores couldn’t survive without being badss. They can’t run from a threat. Bull elephants and Cape buffalo are no joke. At all.
One on one, puond for pound, wild boars — admittedly, omnivores — are a bigger threat than wolves or bears. Our ancestors certainly thought so.
Black Tyrone says
8 foot Alligator pulled from my daughter’s street side culvert.{By authorities} I don’t think my wee wonder woman, a TV news reporter in Tampa really gave your suppositions much though and or consideration. But believe it or not two wild turkeys kept her temporarily at bay {Tampa} while in her vehicle one morning. Good light story.
deuce says
Crocobilians are my favorite reptiles. I would not have one as a pet — I don’t believe in exotic pets, period — but they are incredibly cool. They survived where the dinosaurs died. By almost any metric, they are the most advanced order of the surviving reptiles. I did the term paper for my Evolution class in college on crocodilians. Did y’all know that when the first rocket was launced from Canaveral, all the gators in the swamps thereabouts roared out in defiance and threat? That’s the story, anyway. I wish I could’ve been there to hear it. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.
JimC says
That would have been something to hear.
Black Tyrone says
One can also cite another myth that is, the urban myth that large alligators and perhaps their relatives are to be found in the NYC sewers having been flushed down toilets by ignorant tenants once they realized that same were growing too large. I also have a bridge to sell all of you here in Brooklyn NYC.
JimC says
Wait, what?! No NYC alligators? I LOVE that urban legend.
Black Tyrone says
No but there are RATS as big as cats! I think you and the Partisans should propose to Comrade Bill the Mayor, that you would come over and take target practice on these rodents. WAIT I should not have said that as I have probably offended PETA!
Breaker Morant says
I watched this happen in “Real Time” on an African Hunting Forum where people who knew him were updating and asking for updates. It was kind of surreal.
Re: African Pulp-I found a new author that I do not have time to read, although the more I look at his stuff the more interesting he gets.
Wilfrid Robertson.
This is a link to his Amazon page. If nothing else, it is fun to look at the pulpy covers.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Wilfrid+Robertson&search-alias=books&field-author=Wilfrid+Robertson&sort=relevancerank
JimC says
Figured this would hit home for you. I’ll check out the author.
Breaker Morant says
At the African Hunting Forum-They wouldn’t let anybody play CSI over there, and he apparently was by himself, so the answers to various questions will never be known.
It is obviously a bad way to go and accidents leave a family gasping in the suddenness. However, 44 year-olds with young families die every day in car accidents on the way to the cubicle farm and I always circle back to the idea that if I had (got?) to choose, I would live his life and take his death over most peoples’ any day.
Re:the Wilfrid Robertson.
Most of his books look like they fall into the Boys’ Adventure Book genre. However, I am not going to be able to resist “Rhodesian Rancher” and a couple of others for very long-so I might as well bite the bullet and not waste time over-analyzing it for a month.
JimC says
I remember reading a snarky review of “Legends of the Fall,” where the reviewer mocked the voice-over ending as Tristan Ludlow was attacked by the grizzly — One Stab saying “It was a good death.” Yet another reviewer who didn’t get it. Couldn’t get it. A horrible way to go — and a good death. I guess that’s something you understand or you don’t. No explaining it.
Anything titled “Rhodesian Rancher” is going to perk up the ears around here…
lane batot says
Critter geek here. Hippos kill more people than any other MAMMAL in Africa, but both crocs and venomous snakes account for more human deaths overall. And interesting that the big, dangerous HERBIVORES tend to kill far more people than the predatory types! And then just waste the meat! Typical, ornery vegetarians…… I got to experience some of this firsthand during my amazing 3 months in Africa in the bush, lo those many years ago. Where I was EVERY species of venomous snake native to East Africa lived there, except the Gaboon viper, and though I was often crawling on my hands and knees in thick bush, I never saw but ONE water cobra in the fresh water lake I was camped beside!(Tanganyika) Just lucky, I guess. I also bathed, swam, drank, and washed stuff daily in the lake, but was told crocs didn’t NORMALLY hang around the area where I was, although just North, on the SAME LAKE, in Burundi, people got et all the time–some did while I was there–this was during the famous croc “Gustav’s” reign! Still, I was cautious and leery, but the water was crystal clear(in those days), plus I had a lot of my baboon buddies helping me watch out along the shoreline(those guys rarely miss ANYTHING!), so I didn’t worry so much I couldn’t enjoy myself. An yeah, a lion or croc or elephant or hippo nailing someone there was equivilent to car wreck victims in this country–hardly raised an eyebrow from anyone. And I also agree–not planning on purposefully making it happen or anything, but I’d MUCH rather get nailed and et by a big predator than croak in a car wreck and git stuffed in a coffin…….
JimC says
Excellent!
john roberts says
To be fair, those herbivores don’t waste the meat. NOTHING made of meat is wasted in the bush. They just prepare a buffet for their little scavenger buddies. If it’s dead at noon there isn’t even a bloodstain left on the ground by nightfall.
JimC says
Total efficiency.
Black Tyrone says
Lane think twice. There is something about reverting to the spore {CRAP} of a Boa or python that troubles me. Best.
Breaker Morant says
Capstick wrote that crocs killed 10 people a day in Africa, and maybe more, because the evidence disappears. I think it was him that wrote that a woman could be taken while washing clothes and the next day, somebody else would be washing at the same spot.
wayne says
My wife was bitten by a brown recluse last spring while putting on her bee suit (they like to hide in the folds of cloth). She recovered fully, but not everyone does. I’ve read about swans having the strength to break a man’s neck with their wings. I figure the most dangerous animal is the one that kills you.
JimC says
Fair enough. Those spider bites can be a VERY nasty business.
Matthew says
Speaking of dangerous non-predators. Some wild boars took out a few human predators.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/04/25/wild-boars-overrun-islamic-state-position-kill-3-militants/100876844/