Hunter charged with federal crimes for allegedly leading illegal elephant hunts

[Judi Lynn]

Source: ABC News


By CLAYTON SANDELL
May 21, 2018, 4:47 PM ET

A South African man is facing federal charges for his role in allegedly helping a Colorado hunter illegally kill endangered elephants in Zimbabwe and offering similar services to an undercover federal agent, according to an indictment unsealed Monday in Denver.

Professional hunter Hanno van Rensburg, 44, of South Africa is facing charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and violations of the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act, which prohibit the hunting and trade of threatened animals, including the African elephant, according to the indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney in Colorado. A warrant has been issued for van Rensburg’s arrest.

Federal prosecutors allege that in 2015, van Rensburg was paid $39,195 to help a Colorado hunter shoot an elephant outside of Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park. Van Rensburg and the Colorado hunter -- who is not named in the indictment -- tracked the wounded animal inside the park, the indictment states.

Van Rensburg and the Colorado hunter, according to the indictment, “agreed to pay and paid a bribe to the game scouts of between $5,000 and $8,000 so that they could shoot elephants other than the one that was first shot and wounded and kill an elephant inside Gonarezhou National Park, in violation of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wild Life Act.”


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/hunter-charged-federal-crimes-allegedly-leading-illegal-elephant/story?id=55333480

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Hanno van Rensburg

Hanno's playground, as he kills for fun:

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrEwM4AVANbF4AA_wGLuLkF;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNTc0ODMEX3IDMgRiY2sDZWFlcjdmOWNnbDI5ZyUyNmIlM0Q0JTI2ZCUzRGZFVE9PSzFyWUgzS3VfNWJGaWk4THF3a19jX3JYc19ya1E2azM1dGQ0N2NwM1EtLSUyNnMlM0RkayUyNmklM0RnSnlIV1g4VVJBNmhTVDlLeVlmVgRmcgMEZ3ByaWQDMFF1OVZ3dC5SaFdhMDNLOFo4OTY5QQRtdGVzdGlkA251bGwEbl9zdWdnAzEEb3JpZ2luA2ltYWdlcy5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDBHFzdHJsAzE4BHF1ZXJ5A0hhbm5vIHZhbiBSZW5zYnVyZwR0X3N0bXADMTUyNjk0NTI2NgR2dGVzdGlkA251bGw-?gprid=0Qu9Vwt.RhWa03K8Z8969A&pvid=UT3.pDEwLjHlO2d6WQqJMAAhNjUuMgAAAACIiPfU&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&p=Hanno+van+Rensburg&ei=UTF-8&iscqry=&fr=sfp#id=0&iurl=http%3A%2F%2F&action=close

What on earth does ABC News have against identifying "the Colorado hunter"? Is he too delicate to stand behind his evil deeds publicly?

[dhill926]

1. hope this smug fuck...

spends a lot of time in prison....

[trueblue2007]

2. i say shoot'em with their own guns: all hunters who kill elephants.

IF THEY KNOW THEY WILL DIE FOR ILLEGALLY HUNTING ELEPHANTS, I DOUBT THEY WILL TRY !!!

that goes for hunting ANY BIG GAME ANIMAL!!!!

[oneshooter]

3. I hunt both Elk and Mule Deer with a Muzzle loading Flintlock rifle.

A .62calliber 3/4 stock. I also use a copy of a 1875 Sharps. All single shots.

Would you want me killed with either of these weapons?

[trueblue2007]

8. read what i say before you HARP ....... I SAID: ................ FOR ILLEGALLY HUNTING ELEPHANTS

Don't jump all over me. You didn't read what i posted.

[oneshooter]

10. And I quote your own words.

" that goes for hunting ANY BIG GAME ANIMAL!!!! "

[Jedi Guy]

4. Question.

Are you in favor of the death penalty for crimes committed against human victims?

[trueblue2007]

9. your question has nothing to do with people illegally hunting elephants.

[Jedi Guy]

11. Uh huh.

I can't help but wonder why you're dodging a very simple question. My question has to do with crime and the punishment of same, so yes, there is a link there. But dodge away, if you like.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Hunter charged for illegal elephant hunts

The hunter paid several thousand dollars to Zimbabwean government officials in return for authorization to shoot the elephants inside a national park, according to an indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Author: Janet Oravetz
Published: 11:13 AM MDT May 21, 2018
Updated: 12:19 PM MDT May 21, 2018

A professional hunter from South Africa was charged with federal crimes related to illegal elephant hunts in an indictment unsealed in United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

According to the indictment, Hanno Van Rensburg, 44, sought opportunities to hunt large elephants that frequent the area around Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. He hired a Zimbabwe-based outfitter so that he could lead a hunt inside the park.

Once on the hunt, Van Rensburg shot several elephants. One elephant was killed inside the national park a release from the Department of Justice said.

He paid somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 in bribes to Zimbabwean government officials in return for authorization to shoot the elephants, to kill an elephant inside Gonarezhou National Park, and to have the elephant’s ivory released, the indictment alleged.

More:
https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/hunter-charged-for-illegal-elephant-hunts/73-556665418

[LanternWaste]

6. Another accurate example why I lose trust and faith in anyone who is entertained by killing.

Another accurate example why I lose trust and faith in anyone who is entertained by killing.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Hunter accused of giving bribes for African elephant kill

Kathleen Foody and Colleen Slevin, Associated Press
 Updated 3:21 pm, Tuesday, May 22, 2018

DENVER (AP) — U.S. prosecutors have indicted the owner of a South African hunting company, accusing him of bribing Zimbabwean officials while guiding a Colorado tourist and working to have the ivory tusks of an elephant that the group illegally killed inside a national park imported to the United States.

Prosecutors in Colorado said Hanno van Rensburg took a hunting party to the area around Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe to hunt elephants in 2015. The Colorado client shot one elephant that did not die. The group then tracked the animal into the national park but could not find it, according to prosecutors.

An indictment unsealed last week said van Rensburg and the hunter bribed government officials with at least $5,000 to let the party shoot other elephants inside the park. Zimbabwean law does not allow hunters tracking a wounded animal inside the park to hunt other wildlife.

Someone in the group shot and killed a different elephant. Prosecutors say van Rensburg conspired with the client from Colorado to export ivory from the animal, falsely claiming that the hunter was a resident of South Africa and that the elephant was not shot inside a national park.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Charges-filed-against-South-Africa-hunter-over-12933044.php