Wildlife artist is gored to death by buffalo

[Woody Williams]

From the Telegraph, London

Wildlife artist is gored to death by buffalo

By Oliver Poole
(Filed: 16/12/2004)

A British wildlife artist whose works are owned by the Royal Family has died in Africa after being gored by a buffalo while walking with his wife.

Simon Combes, 64, was killed in Kenya's Great Rift Valley when he was charged by the one-ton animal that threw him to the ground, stamped on him and then ripped open his torso with its horns.

He had to wait two hours for medical help to arrive and died shortly before a helicopter could airlift him to hospital.

Mr Combes's daughter, Cindy, 35, said: "The buffalo just came from nowhere.

"The people with [my father] were frantically trying to scare the beast off by throwing things at it but to no avail.

"It was too dark for the helicopter to land near the summit of the hill where my father was lying. They decided they would land at the bottom and try to transfer him down and that's when the full extent of his injuries became clear."

The attack occurred on Sunday when Mr Combes, his second wife, Kat, and a family friend Mary Wykstra, climbed Delamere's Nose, a stretch of land on the 68,000-acre nature reserve owned by Lord Hugh Delamere.

They had stopped to admire the view from a summit when they were confronted by the buffalo. The animals can be very unpredictable and are known to attack if they feel threatened.

The family was unable to identify the breed, but the reserve is home to Cape buffalo which, with their heavy curved horns, are among the most feared animals on the African continent.

First aid arrived for Mr Combes within an hour from a local village but he had to wait for the air ambulance before he could be taken to hospital.

The artist was renowned for his depiction of the world's most dangerous animals, and throughout his career had emphasised his belief in the importance of getting as close as possible to his subjects when attempting to paint them. In an interview he said he had no fear of dangerous animals, having already been chased by an elephant, put up a tree by a rhino and bitten by a tiger.

Born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, he had moved at the age of six with his family to an 800 acre farm in Kenya. When he was 18 he was drafted into the Army and led the airborne unit during Kenya's guerrilla war with Somalia and was promoted to major when aged only 24.

He learnt to paint during periods of inactivity while on military duty and after a critically acclaimed exhibition at Nairobi's New Stanley Art Gallery he retired to become a full-time artist. In 1978 he moved back to Britain, living in Bushley in Gloucestershire. He returned to Kenya full-time seven years ago.

He was named artist of the year in the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show in 1994 and was a member of the Society of Animal Artists, winning its award for excellence in 1990. The Royal Family has purchased some of his paintings and he sat on the council of the Friends of Conservation, whose patron is the Prince of Wales.

[brayhaven]

Man, a bad way to go !!
Robert Ruark said a Cape Buffalo looks at you like you owe him money
Greg

[Evan]

I enjoy reading Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, and over the years he has had some interesting stories of hunting buffalo in Africa. After reading his stories I sure wouldn't dare venture into the African wild without a large-caliber rifle and the skill to use it.

Another great post, Woody!