By Andrew Court
The moment before the attack, “you just hear that guttural wild growl that leopards always do when they charge you.”
Professional Hunter Steve Tors is describing hunting, and being hunted by, a leopard. His Swiss client, at 70 years old, wants a large male trophy. Steve wants to get rid of a dangerous cat that’s terrorizing the nearly 80,000-acre Mount Etjo Safari Lodge in Namibia. As his boss, Jan, says, “It’s always a waste to kill a really nice animal without a paying client.”
Back in the day you could hunt with dogs in the African country, but the dogs forced the cat to go on the offensive. Steve instantly knew they were in trouble when the handler ran in the opposite direction.
The Leopard Hunter
The leopard knocked Steve over and pounced on the client. Predator and prey slammed to the ground; ironically, the leopard’s belly broke the fall of the client. Steve, after a moment, dazed and confused, grabbed his 12 gauge. The shot for the leopard’s neck was clear, and he took it.
In the end, Steve’s arms were cut down to the bone, and the client needed 80 stitches to get his head back together. Fortunately, the lodge had a Cessna and they could get to help quickly. Unfortunately, anyone mauled by a big cat has to spend four days on an IV antibiotics drip. All that rotten meat in the predator’s teeth can lead to infections.
In the seven-room hospital, they heard a doctor’s wife giving birth. The client quipped, “One comes and two almost go.” He had a sense of humor, but according to Steve, he was also a “tough guy.” As soon as he was released he was back out hunting.
In terms of toughness, it takes one to know one.
Steve Tors isn’t who you’d expect to be a professional hunter deep in the wilds of Africa. He grew up in Beverly Hills, the son of filmmaker Ivan Tors. His father produced multiple nature documentaries as well as the original TV show “Flipper.” He also did the underwater photography for my personal favorite James Bond film, “Thunderball.”
Becoming the Professional Hunter
With this exposure to nature, young Steve only had two career paths in mind, either to be a professional diver or a hunter. As an inveterate city slicker, I was surprised that he wasn’t tempted to follow his dad into the entertainment industry. “A lot of people ask why didn’t I go into the film business,” Steve said, “but growing up around the industry, it’s the most boring shit you can do.”
After one trip chasing elephants in Kenya, he was sold on the hunting path.
He used a family connection with Ian Player, the brother of golfer Garry Player, to get into the business. Through Ian, he got an apprenticeship with Jan Oelofse at his Safari lodge. Jan was a taskmaster, “one of those guys who could do everything, and expected the same from you.” Steve was one of the few who stuck around to grow with the lodge.
I asked him what surprises people on their first hunt on the dark continent. He responded simply, “The animals, how pretty they are, how beautiful, how big they are.”
Steve explains how hunting paradoxically promotes their survival and flourishing. He points to the example of Kenya, which has banned commercial hunting. Professional hunters used to serve as game wardens, guys with an interest in protecting their trade from poachers. Now, the villains have free rein. At Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, where Steve works, they have a wide range of animals, from black rhinos to hippos that wouldn’t otherwise be on a commercial cattle ranch in Namibia.
When you talk with someone like Steve, who’s passionate about conservation, the arguments against hunting in Africa are incredibly shallow.
Out of Africa
The animals are exciting, and since I connected with Steve, he’s been sending an action-packed stream of WhatsApp images. It started with a leopard on video jumping out of nowhere, skillfully put down by the hunter. I showed this to a group of friends over pizza, and it stirred a resounding “oh shit” from everyone when the cat pounced.
He also shared a picture of a giant black mamba snake from his property. Steve is talented at not missing when it matters. He shot the snake’s head clean off with his revolver.
Speaking of not missing things, I don’t get the sense that he’s pining for home back in the States. When I asked him about it, he said he can get ESPN on the satellite dish at camp.
Namibia is its own little paradise. You can jump in the ocean and catch a lobster, then go hunt big game all in one day. Steve particularly likes the low population. According to him, the biggest problem in Africa right now is that “Africans don’t really worry about birth control.” The takeaway is that human populations are growing fast, encroaching on wildlife. Finding the wild is harder than ever.
Nothing can stay the same, but the world is losing men like Steve Tors, who see the world as a place yet to be explored. They have elan and humor in equal measure, ready to tell a great story over the campfire.
