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\n In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, a buffalo is seen in a pen at Melorani Safaris at Olifantsvallei, South Africa.
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Denis Farrell\/AP<\/p>\n
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Denis Farrell\/AP<\/p>\n
A Texas real estate magnate and trophy hunter was killed by a Cape buffalo during a hunting expedition in South Africa, according to a safari company, which described the incident as “sudden and unprovoked.”<\/p>\n
Asher Watkins had been tracking the bull for a kill when the large horned animal staged an attack first.<\/p>\n
“Asher was fatally injured in a sudden and unprovoked attack by an unwounded buffalo he was tracking together with one of our professional hunters and one of our trackers,” said Hans Vermaak, leader of the safari company Coenraad Vermaak Safaris (CVS), in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The family and our team members who were present at the time are understandably shaken. Out of respect for the family’s privacy as well as our staff members involved, we will not be sharing further details,” Vermaak also said.<\/p>\n He described Watkins and his family as “long-standing friends and part of the CVS family.”<\/p>\n Cape buffalo are considered one of the “most ‘wanted’ dangerous game animal by trophy hunters across the globe,” according to the safari company.<\/p>\n No other animal has “a more fearsome reputation than a cape buffalo!,” the safari company said<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Responsible for several deaths and many injuries to hunters each year, the buffalo is regarded as the most dangerous animal to pursue in Africa, let alone the world,” CVS also said.<\/p>\n The nature of Watkins’ death \u2013 being killed by the same animal he had sought to take down \u2013 sparked discussions online among animal rights groups and activists on the ethics of trophy hunting.<\/p>\n “Asher Watkins went on a luxury hunting trip in South Africa when he stalked a Cape buffalo,” animal rights group PETA wrote on Instagram<\/a>. “The terrified buffalo was cornered and retaliated. Animals aren’t trophies or wall decorations. Trophy hunting must end!”<\/p>\n![\"Death](\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2015\/07\/31\/ap_667564490722-cecil-edit_sq-0cb09f1270044d462315966e7db55a8b33edd2eb.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg\")
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