An injured buffalo turns the tables on a group of hunters in this video of a near-fatal encounter, crashing into a land manager and throwing him into the air.
Dramatic footage shows the man running for his life as the furious animal lunges at him during the expedition in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The horrified hunters, who were hiding out of the animal’s line of sight behind some bushes, watch helplessly as the man fails to get out of their way in time.
The man then rolls on top of the charging beast, which severs his leg, and is thrown into the air before crashing to the ground.
The animal, which became enraged after being hit by an arrow, is shot dead by the hunting group.
The terrain manager rolls on top of the charging beast and is launched into the air before crashing to the ground.
The injured man, whose name has not been revealed, was helping the group of hunters when he was attacked by the animal.
The animal’s horns appear to have caught the man’s leg, and blood is seen coming from his calf.
But otherwise he appears to have emerged largely unscathed, even standing up and shaking himself after the attack.
However, the buffalo met a gruesome end when the hunter fired a volley of bullets at it and then shot it again to make sure it was dead.
The incident occurred when the buffalo fled after being hit by an arrow.
The group wanted to avoid leaving the animal suffering overnight so they called the land manager to bring a firearm.
Cameraman Martin Müller, 43, hired to film the hunting trip, captured action-packed footage of the incident.
The expedition was booked by an American client, also unnamed, who hired Martin and a professional hunter to assist him.
Martin, owner of a production company in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa, said: “The client had shot with the bow.
“It definitely hit the right place – the lungs – but it must have missed a bone.
“It still reached the lung, but it was very shallow and the buffalo ran away.
‘It was just me, the hunter and the client. We followed the blood for four kilometers before calling the land manager.
“We left a safety zone of 100 meters from the last bloodstain we saw in case the buffalo backed away and waited for the car.”
The animal’s horns appear to have caught the man’s leg, and blood is seen coming from his calf.
The grounds manager arrived with the client’s rifle. He also brought two dogs to help track the injured buffalo.
He separated from the group but remained in the safe area, trying to follow the animal’s trail using dogs.
Unexpectedly, the buffalo was less than 20 meters away and began chasing the lone man towards the rest of the group.
The hunter couldn’t shoot because the land manager was in his line of fire, but when the animal turned toward the owner, the client fired and hit the buffalo.
Martin said: ‘It must have turned around and gotten closer than we thought.
“The guys were 20 meters away and they were still in the safe zone.”
He continued: ‘We spoke to the client and told him it was a risky shot, but he said he was on the buffalo the whole time.
The hunter couldn’t shoot because the land manager was in his line of fire, but when the animal turned toward the owner, the client fired and hit the buffalo.
‘In retrospect, you may disapprove, but if you look at the angle he was at, that man was not even in his line of sight.
“It was still a split-second decision and it could have gone either way.”
The grounds manager was treated at the hospital with minor injuries.
Martin added: ‘Professional hunters always have a first aid kit. We cleaned the wound and sent him to the hospital.
“He was happy to be alive when he came back. It could have been a combination of realizing how lucky he was and the drugs, but he was happy.”
The incident took place in 2021, but Martin only revealed the images after the client posted them this month.