Teressa Groenewald-Hagerman poses over magnificent elephant she downed with a bow and arrow then left to die overnight



A woman hunter clutches a bow and grins as she poses next to the body of an elephant she has killed with a single arrow.

In a scene that will sicken animal lovers and anti-hunting groups, proud Teressa Groenewald-Hagerman stands over her kill after becoming the first woman to kill an elephant in such a manner.



The 39-year-old, from Kansas in the U.S. travelled to troubled Zimbabwe where she could hunt the creature legally.



She shot the creature then left it to die overnight before plucking up the courage to approach the carcasse.



Teressa Groenewald-Hagerman, 39, poses next to the elephant she killed with the bow and arrow she is holding

After creeping up on the herd she drew back the bow and fired the arrow into her target - from just 12 yards away.

The injured creature staggered 500 yards,leaving a bloody trail, before crashing to the ground.

The sick image of her so-called 'achievement' was posted on the internet, where Ms Groenewald-Hagerman boasted of her hunting exploits.

She said she had worked out for four hours a day for eight months in order to be able to fire the weapon with enough force to bring it down during the 2007 trip.

She describes leaving the animal overnight lying on its side before returning to check it was actually dead the next day.

On the website 'Hunts of a Lifetime' Ms Hagerman wrote: 'A man by the name of Larry, who is a videographer for Orion Multi Media, bet me I couldn't shoot a buffalo or elephant with a bow.

'He indicated only one or two women had completed the buffalo with a bow and no woman had ever taken an elephant with a bow. Of course, I couldn't turn down the challenge.'

On another site she added: 'The bow was awesome. I think it fit me well. I couldn't wait to get my elephant..

On the moment of the slaughter, which happened near Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe, she added: 'I shot the elephant at 12 yards with one arrow. It was shot near dark.

'We went back the next day and found him. I was in the middle of 37 elephants when I took my shot. This was my first bow kill and first woman to take an ele with a bow.'

One blogger on texasbowhunter.com described her as: 'Stunning looking, and an avid hunter.'

Another admiring blogger called BO-N-ARO wrote: 'That has to be one of the best examples of setting a goal and working hard to achieve it.'

Hagerman's trip was paid for by several sponsors including the bow company, PSE, and Foxy Huntress, a company that makes hunting clothing for women.



Hunting elephants for sport is legal in some parts of Africa and many tour companies allow tourists to visit on organised hunting trips.

Tour operators and hunters argue that elephants get out of control when not properly culled and can destroy crops and small buildings in rural villages.



Ms Groenewald-Hagerman was not available for comment.

