Suspected poacher killed by elephant in South Africa; lions devour remains

Lions have devoured the remains of a suspected poacher who was killed by an elephant in a park in South Africa, the South African National Parks said.

The search team tasked to recover the suspected poacher found the skull and pants of the unnamed man in the crocodile bridge section of the Kruger National Park (KNP) on April 4.

“Indications found at the scene suggested that a pride of lions had devoured the remains, leaving only a human skull and a pair of pants,” the South African National Parks said in a statement.

The suspected poacher, along with four accomplices, entered KNP on the evening of April 2 to poach rhinoceros. The poacher, however, was attacked by an elephant, leading to his death.

A search party was launched after the four accomplices informed the family of the victim of their relative’s death.

The search team’s initial attempts to recover the poacher’s body, however, was unsuccessful due to poor lighting.

The body was recovered when the search resumed on April 4 with the authorities still investigating the incident.

Glenn Phillips, Managing Executive of the KNP,  extended his condolences to the family of the poacher.

“Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers, and this incident is evidence of that,” Phillips said.

“It is very sad to see the daughters of the deceased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains,” he added.

The four accomplices, meanwhile, were arrested and are set to appear before the court. /ee