Riaan Naude-Treasure Hunter Shot Executed By Unknown Men

A trophy hunter from South Africa who planned shooting expeditions for paying clients and took pictures holding the carcasses of endangered species was discovered shot to death in Limpopo, South Africa.

Riaan Naude, 55, the CEO of Pro Hunt Africa, was discovered drenched in blood next to his car on Marken Road, according to the local police.

“The man was lying with his face up, and there was blood on his head and face,” South African Police Service spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mamphaswa Seabi said, according to the Mirror.

The Metro UK reports that, according to a non-profit organization against rhino poaching called the Heritage Protection Group (HPG), Naude was killed by two men who pulled up beside him when his car broke down.

After getting out of their white Nissan pickup truck, one of the men shot him “in cold blood at close range.” Then, they stole one of Naude’s guns. According to Maroela Media, a cattle herder saw Naude’s killers speeding away from the scene of the crime.

In South Africa, Naude was well-known for his hunting exploits. Naude was a well-known trophy hunter and the owner of Pro Hunt Africa.

Naude was well-known in South Africa for his hunting activities. A prominent trophy hunter, Naude also ran Pro Hunt Africa. The company is described on its website as “a hunting and Eco Safari outfit in the far Northern [part] of South Africa” and “the only real Big 5 part of Africa,” referencing difficult big game prey like lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and African buffalo.

“We are your African dream!” Pro Hunt Africa declares above photos of dead animals alongside hunters. “Here are some Trophies [obtained] by happy clients during their trip!”

Pro Hunt Africa charged various prices for shooting various species of animals, according their price list. A baboon would cost $250, a giraffe $1,500, and a crocodile $2,500, respectively. On request, interested hunters might get the cost of hunting one of the "Big 5".

Despite Naude's fame, authorities had no idea why he was shot and killed alongside the road — or if his killers were driven by his work hunting animals in South Africa.

“The motive for the attack and the subsequent murder is unknown at this stage,” Seabi said, according to Maroela Media. Seabi added that, given rifles, ammunition, clothes, water, and whiskey found in Naude’s car, it appeared that Naude was “on his way to go hunting” when he was killed.

Though trophy hunting is legal in South Africa, and, according to Vice, the South African government has just increased the quota of endangered elephants, black rhinos, and leopards that trophy hunters can kill, news of Naude’s death was met with a decided lack of sympathy online.

Though trophy hunting is permitted in South Africa, and the South African government, according to Vice, has just boosted the quota of endangered elephants, black rhinos, and leopards that trophy hunters can kill, news of Naude's murder was welcomed with a decided lack of sympathy online.

“Trophy hunters aren’t removing old sick or injured animals,” one user wrote on the Pro Hunt Africa Instagram page, beneath a photo of a dead elephant. “No, they are killing the biggest & best, removing them from the gene pool, no benefit to animal populations.”

Another wrote: “Imagine being proud of killing beautiful, majestic and innocent animals. what kind of sick human does that.”

And one social media user commented, according to the Mirror: “Hunter hunted. There is party in animal heaven. I’m not happy, but animals should not be anyone’s trophy; they should live and survive in their habitat naturally.”