A suspected rhino poacher in Kruger National Park has allegedly been killed by an elephant and eaten by lions, leaving behind nothing but a skull and a pair of trousers.
In a statement by South African National Parks, it was revealed that a group of men entered Kruger National Park overnight on Tuesday 4 April in an apparent attempt to poach the endangered species.
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After entering the park, one of the men was suddenly attacked by an elephant, according to his accomplices.
The poachers later called the family of the man to inform them of what had happened, and a search party was quickly arranged to help them family "find closure" by recovering his remains, which were found near Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp.
Although the man's remains were found on Thursday morning, only the skull and pair of pants was left. It is suspected that a pride of lions had eaten his corpse.
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Park officials reacted by commending the search party and offering condolences to the family.
Glenn Phillips, managing executive of Kruger National Park, said: "Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise. It holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that.
"It is very sad to see the daughters of the diseased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains."
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The late man's four accomplices are in custody and will soon appear in court.
According to Save The Rhino, South Africa holds nearly 80 per cent of the world's rhinos and has hit hardest by poachers, with over 1,000 rhinos killed each year between 2013 and 2017.
Poachers go after rhino horn as it is a highly prized ingredient, particularly in Chinese medicine, and is widely regarded as a status symbol.
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In reality, the horn serves no proven medicinal purpose and the hunting of the ingredient has been responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of rhinos around the world.
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