A game ranger miraculously escaped death after he was shot through the face with an arrow by an assassin as he hunted poachers in Kenya.

William Hofmeyr, 51, was on patrol when he saw a Maasai warrior sleeping under a tree and woke him up to warn him that there was a hungry pride of lions nearby.

He feared that the tribal spearman could become a feast for the predators.

William Hofmeyr (pictured) miraculously escaped death after he was shot through the face with an arrow

Seconds later, he felt an almighty thwack in the cheek as a black man lying in ambush fired an arrow from bushes nearby and hit him right in the face.

The razor shop arrowhead sliced through his right cheek and back out of his open mouth and lodged in his face and his mouth began filling with blood.

As he turned round, he saw his ambusher notching another arrow ready to fire again so he turned and sprinted back to his ranger truck parked under a tree.

Once at his specially modified Toyota Landcruiser known as The Beast he turned and saw the bowman about to fire a second arrow, so pulled out his pistol.

He fired two warning shots and the archer turned and vanished into the bush but the Kenya Wildlife Service ranger was determined to catch his would-be killer.

He jumped into the custom-built off-road vehicle and gave chase through thick bush crashing through undergrowth trying to run down his fleet footed attacker.

The 51-year-old game ranger was on patrol hunting poachers when he was ambushed

The razor shop arrowhead sliced through his right cheek and back out of his open mouth and lodged in his face and his mouth began filling with blood

William said: 'I was in agony because one end of the arrow in my mouth was sticking out the window and it kept hitting against every bush I drove through.

'The feathered end just kept whacking the bushes and my whole face was in agony.

'I couldn't call for reinforcements because I had so much blood in my mouth that I was not making any sense over the radio so I just had to go it on my own.

'To stop the arrow flapping about I had to bite down on the shaft - it may sound like something out of Rambo but I was bloody angry and upset he shot me.

'After 35 years serving in the army and the police and as a game ranger I have had a fair bit of metal shot into me so am used to it and this won't be the last.

'I chased him for an hour but he finally got away up a steep escarpment and the pain was pretty damn hectic so I decided to head back to go to a local clinic.

'When I walked in the doctors and nurses just had their mouths open. I don't think they had ever seen anyone walk in with an arrow through their mouth.

William said he pushed the arrow (pictured) straight out through his cheek and handed it to one of the nurses at the hospital

'They sat me down and started pushing and pulling on it and it just meant my mouth was filling up with more and more blood and it was getting annoying.

'In the end I told them I would do it and got hold of one end of the arrow and pushed it straight out through my cheek and handed it to one of the nurses.

'It was only then I could see how sharp and wicked the arrow head was - I guess I was pretty fortunate that it wasn't poisoned or else I would have been done.

'I have no doubt it was an assassination attempt as it is known that there is a contract out on my head and that of my deputy ranger Justin Mathews.

'We normally patrol together but due to circumstances I was alone and that will not be happening again now we know we have a 'friend' somewhere out there.

'A nurse put some disinfectant on the wound and told me I didn't need stitches so I got up and walked out and went back to work on the reserve' he said.

William Hofmeyr (pictured left, with his deputy Justin Mathews) has run the Olarro Conservancy Reserve in Kenya for six years

The next day William and his colleagues were tending a wounded elephant on the Olarro Conservancy Reserve in Kenya where he is the Head Ranger.

He has run the 21,000 hectare conservancy for six years and four years ago was shot in the right arm by poachers and had to undergo major surgery.

William said: 'The word out there in the bush is that there is a contract on me and my senior colleague and I have no doubt that this was a planned hit.

'He tried to kill me and then came after me for a second shot and you only have to look at that arrow head to know the bowman totally meant business.

'The sleeping Maasai warrior was not a part of it but the way I was shot and the way he came after me to finish it off after convinces me it was a kill job.

'Unfortunately for him he didn't finish the job and that's not good for him.'

Four years ago, he was shot in the right arm by poachers and had to undergo major surgery

William has set up a rapid reaction Tactical Response team and works closely in conjunction with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Mara Elephant project.

His team have wiped out poaching on the Olarro Conservancy but so far this year 30 wounded elephants from other reserves have wandered onto his territory.

He said: 'They seem to sense it is safe here and a sanctuary and we find them and then patch them up and when they are ready they go off on their way again.

'I would just like to stress that it is extremely safe at Olarro and what we do is away from and does not affect the guest experience which is peaceful and wonderful.

'Our job is to sort out human/animal conflict and environment crime like poaching and as a Kenya Wildlife Ranger and I can cover any area I want to' he said.

The next day William and his colleagues were tending a wounded elephant on the Olarro Conservancy Reserve in Kenya where he is the Head Ranger

A spokesman at the Majimoto Police Post confirmed that a major investigation was under way and he said that a hunt for the hired archer is in full swing.

Married father-of-three William, from Grahamstown in Eastern Cape, South Africa, said the local Maasai community had come together to find his attacker.

The Olarro Conservancy is home to elephants, lions, leopards and buffalos and many other species protected by William and his team of 35 rangers.

He said proudly: 'We have had no animals killed by poachers in the last year thanks to our high vigilance and excellent rangers but it does makes us enemies.

'Being attacked is part of the job and getting shot at happens – deal with it.

'I was a little worried when I heard my mum found out but she phoned and said if I got shot by another arrow I would have a pair of knitting needles!'

The Olarro Conservancy adjoins the well known Maasai Mara game reserve.