One of the saddest chapters in the history of the Addo elephants involved Major Pretorius’ big hunt of 1919/20.

After nearly 200 years of being hunted for their ivory, there were only about 140 elephants left in the Addo region by the early 1900s. Growth in agriculture in the region led to conflict with elephants as they damaged crops and competed with farmers’ needs for water.

Local farmers put pressure on the government to exterminate the Addo elephants and on 25 November 1919 the Cape Provincial Administration entered into a contractual agreement with the noted big-game hunter and celebrated war hero, Major P J Pretorius, to cull the herd. Major Pretorius set up his camp in Kinkelbos and used various methods while hunting. This included wearing a full leather outfit and taking a ladder along on his hunt to see over the thick Addo bush.

Pretorius and his .475 cordite Express Rifle shot 114 elephants between 1919 and 1920. His activities generated publicity and sympathy for the elephants, prompting the halt of the killing when only 16 Addo Elephants remained.

This then led to the creation of the Addo Elephant National Park in 1931.