First, the American stuck by a Gemsbok in Namibia:
http://www.namibian.com.na/2006/September/national/0646B969F8.html
Oryx kills American

STAFF REPORTER
AN American visitor to Namibia died at a farm in the Gobabis area after he was gored by an oryx on Thursday.

The gemsbok attacked the 65-year-old American between 08h00 and 09h00 on Thursday, the Namibian Police reported on Friday.

A Police spokesperson, Sergeant Stephan Nuuyi, added yesterday that it was reported that the man had set out on a walk with the aim to take some photographs earlier that morning.

He apparently encountered the gemsbok, got too close to the animal, and was attacked and killed.

The incident happened at farm Avitra along the Gobabis-Nina road, the Police reported.


Now the African:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1995741,00.html
Hunter survives lion attack
09/09/2006 07:31 - (SA)
Craig Bishop

Johannesburg - Nottingham Road hunter Bruce Meikle survived an attack by a wounded, charging, 200kg lioness while on a hunting safari on a Limpopo private game reserve.

Currently recovering at home, a bruised and battered 90kg Meikle spoke to Weekend Witness about his ordeal, which left him with torn veins and 41 lacerations.

Meikle, whose parents, Terry and Norma run the Nottingham Road Kwikspar, was the professional hunter for an American client on the 14-day walking safari.

Towards the end of the safari, Limpopo conservation authorities asked the hunters to destroy a "problem cat" an eight-year-old female.

After tracking the cat's spoor for five days through thick acacia scrub and arid savannah grassland on the 65 000 Hectors reserve, Meikle said that they - the US client, two trackers, Meikle and two conservation rangers - spotted the lioness lying about 60m away next to a bush.

Client shot the lioness

The cat had also seen them.

The client shot the lioness through the right shoulder with a .375, using Barnes X ammunition.

"For some reason, the bullet didn't do the job. We found out afterwards that it had not mushroomed, so the wound was like a little pinprick to the cat.

She ran off and disappeared so we backed off and gave it an hour for the adrenaline to settle in her, then followed in the truck," explained Meikle.

After a while, the truck halted and the two trackers jumped off to look around.

Managed to get off

"They had walked about 10 metres from the truck so I got out with my rifle and walked over to them.

"Just as I came between them and turned to say, 'let's get back on board', my tracker, Andries screamed 'Lion. Lion. There she is.' I turned round and she came at me like a bullet."

Meikle said that he had managed to get off two shots at the charging lion, both of which he claimed were vital organ shots.

"She hit me at about 40km/h and swept me clean off my feet. It was like being hit by a bus.

"We fell to the ground and started wrestling. Before I knew it she had my whole head in her mouth."

Meikle said that while lying flat on his back with a furious, howling cat drooling saliva over him, he had tried to bear-hug the lioness, to prevent her from raking his abdomen.

Angry lioness was louder

"I stuck my left arm into her mouth and grabbed her behind the ear to pull my head out and keep her close to my body, while sticking my boots into her groin to keep her back legs off me.

She was swiping my back with her paws, and the sound! You will never hear any recording like that."

Meikle said that the scream of an angry lioness was louder and deeper than a V8 engine at 10 000 revs.

"I was not going to let myself die. I looked up and shouted 'Shoot! Shoot!', which they were obviously trying to do but couldn't, for fear of hitting me."

After perhaps 30 seconds, trackers put in three more spinal shots, killing the lioness.

"She died on top of me with my arm still in her mouth. I was incredibly fortunate, but at the same time there was something very sad.

"We had fought each other to the death..."

Exciting stories, alyeska! I know all animals have some unpredicability, but oryx? Could they be something like moose, and sometimes elk, and beligerant when in the rut?

I know the sable has the sweeping back curved horns, and the gemsbok has the straight horns, but I can't picture the oryx horns - straight like the gemsbok?

One thing for sure I'd lot rather read about it than participate. Sure glad the fella wrestling the lion came out ok, condolences to the family of the other fella.

Read about a fella getting charged by a dik dak a few years ago. shows anything will fight sometimes.

Suppose that dik-dik would gore him in the ankle?? :eek:

My understanding is most antelope species in Africa will charge if they are wounded or feel cornered. Guess it is a survival instinct. Many PH's I've talked to say, for them, the most dangerous is the little bushbuck. Once wounded he head for the tall grass and if still alive when approached, he will charge and can do a tremendous amount of damage with those horns.

Suppose that dik-dik would gore him in the ankle?? :eek:

Actually I think he put his hands down to fend it off and it speared one of his hands. had to be embarrasing retelling that story.

I know the sable has the sweeping back curved horns, and the gemsbok has the straight horns, but I can't picture the oryx horns - straight like the gemsbok?
The Gemsbok is a species of Oryx, it is also known as the Giant Oryx. To my knowledge, there are 5 subspecies of the Oryx group.
1) Gemsbok
2) Besia Oryx (found in Ethiopia)
3) Fringe-eared Oryx (Tanzania, Kenya)
4) Scimitar-horned Oryx (Saharan countries)
5) Arabian Oryx (controversial if this is an actual subspecies or not)

The Scimitar-horned Oryx can't be hunted in Africa anymore as the numbers are too few and there are no CITES permits. They are being raised on some game ranches in the States though, most notably, Texas and probably New Mexico.

Interesting; thx alyeska.

Can relate to the gemsbok affair.Was hunting in Nambia back in 1991,frist day frist animal shot right b-4 dark, a female gemsbok at about 75 yds with a 300 win mag. she ran into the thick bush.Darkness was comming on very fast and the trackers refused to go in and find her. We returned at daylight the following morning finding her about 40 yards from where she was shot,the bullet had passed through both lungs.

Any animal should be respected as dangerous IMHO. Gemsbok (Oryx) have been known to kill Lions, but I agree about the Bushbuck. One of my PH friends in SA has a friend who is also a PH. His client shot a Bushbuck and it disappeared into the bush. The PH saw it lying on its side and thought it was dead. As he turned to call to his client, the Bushbuck jumped up and charged, impailing the PH in the left leg and testicles. At the hospital, the Dr advised him it rolled his femoral artery aside or he would have bled to death in minutes. His left testicle was removed. He laughs about it today but that would be a life changing experience for me :rolleyes: I give all African game full respect as it only takes one mistake to be your last. Good hunting, grayghost

There is a fine article in the most current issue of Magnum magazine about 2 lions being held off and one impaled by a single sable. Very good reading.

That would be interesting to watch on video!

There is a fine article in the most current issue of Magnum magazine about 2 lions being held off and one impaled by a single sable. Very good reading.


I once was almost gored by an Eland, that was lying down after I shot it during falling rain. My PH and I approached it from the rear. I poked it with my rifle, it never moved a muscle.

The PH walked around in front of it and put his rifle barrel near it's eye....It never flicked an eyelid. He said it was done. I then passed by it's head, walking around to it's front. It then gave a violent toss of it's head and the points of those long set of spiral horns just gazed my bluejeans. Another 1/4 of an inch and it would have stuck it's horns into the flesh of my leg. The PH quickly shot it in the back of the head, to finish the job. :)

Very very few people have ever survived a lion attack! Those that do are most certainly crippled in some sort of fashion the rest of their life. Why even a female lioness is extremely strong and their jaws have teeth as large as your thumb. They can bit though a cast iron skillet!

Most large cats i've ever heard about clamp on with their mouths and front claws while using the hind ones to rake the devil and innards out of whatever they have hold of.

Doesn't sound very pleasant to me.

Most large cats i've ever heard about clamp on with their mouths and front claws while using the hind ones to rake the devil and innards out of whatever they have hold of.

Doesn't sound very pleasant to me.
That is my understanding with the lion and leopard in Africa, kdub. You are right, it doesn't sound very appealing. Even if you survive the mauling/scratching, the lions saliva and claws are bacteria incubators and can kill from the infections.

I've only seen 3 lions in the wild, one leopard and 4 cheetahs, so I can't claim to be an expert on any of this.

Most all of the African antelope have needle sharp horns. But they could impail a person even if dull do to the strength of those animals. Cozy's experience with his Eland is a good example, and an animal of that size has enough strength to break bones, aside from penetrating the body. Glad he missed you Cozy. That would have been a bad scene. Good hunting, grayghost