Notorious Trophy Hunter Who Killed Endangered Animals Shot Dead ‘Execution Style’ In South Africa

South African trophy hunter, who organized hunting trips for paying customers and posed with the carcasses of endangered animals, has been found shot and killed in Limpopo, South Africa.

According to local police, 55-year-old Riaan Naude, the head of Pro Hunt Africa, was found next to his car on Marken Road, covered in blood.

“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.

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.