Mario Canales: Video shows Mexico's Hunting Federation president being mauled to death by buffalo he shot
Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
ENTRE RIOS, ARGENTINA: A veteran Mexican hunter was viciously attacked by a buffalo during a hunting expedition and the attack was caught on camera. The hunter who was gored by the buffalo went into shock and died before reaching the hospital. He suffered several injuries like multiple ribs and sternum fractures as well as blows to the abdomen. Mario Alberto Canales Najjar was hunting with three of his friends when he was attacked and later died due to his injuries.
Mario Alberto Canales, 64, was killed on Friday, October 7, after being charged by a buffalo that weighed over a ton in the province of Entre Ríos in Argentina. Canales was on a hunting trip with three of his friends in Punta Caballos which is around 124 miles north of Buenos Aires when the incident occurred. The 64-year-old veteran hunter was armed with a .408-caliber rifle and managed to get within 30 meters of the animal when he took aim which is when he failed to bring the animal down. The enraged animal charged at Canales and rammed him with its horns as reported by Argentine news outlet Pagina 12.
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The one-ton beast continued to attack Canales until the group’s hunting tour guide aimed his .458 caliber rifle at the animal and took it down with five shots. The outlet reports that Canales' body was loaded into a pickup truck as no one could call an ambulance due to zero reception. Canales was taken to the hospital to no avail as he went into shock and died shortly before reaching. The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Entre Ríos has opened an investigation into the matter mainly to analyze the permits held by the Punta Caballos-based company that organized the trip to check whether they had the required documentation to hunt a buffalo as it is prohibited to hunt a wildlife animal. The company that organized the trip charges $500 a day for excursions and three friends who accompanied Canales will also be brought in for questioning.
El Presidente de la Federación mexicana de caza, Mario Alberto Canales murió realizando lo que más disfrutaba, asesinar por diversión a otros seres vivos, aprendió que el #Karma llega tarde que temprano y murió al igual que muchas de sus víctimas con miedo y gritando de dolor. pic.twitter.com/3DuF5zxomG
— FRECDA (@Frecda) October 12, 2022
Canales was a lawyer with over three decades of experience and had served as the president of Federación Mexicana de Caza AC since 2018. In addition to this, Canales was also the president of the board of directors of the Safari Club of Mexico and a member of the board of the National Wildlife Council. The organization said in a statement, "Huge sadness for the departure of a great man and [a] much better friend. [A] conservationist and tireless fighter for hunters' rights, his generous friendship leaves an indelible mark on us." The victim's family arrived at Entre Ríos municipality of Gualeguaychú to claim his remains which were later cremated.