A man who was trying to illegally hunt a rhinoceros at Kruger National Park in South Africa was trampled to death by an elephant before a pride of lions ate his remains. Officials were notified by the man's family, who learned of his grisly demise by four of his accomplices who were with him when he was attacked.
“According to the family of the deceased, they were called by his accomplices who notified them that their relative had been killed by an elephant while they were in the KNP to poach a rhino on Tuesday evening,” Isaac Phaahla, a spokesman for Kruger National Park told the Letaba Herald.
Park rangers set out to find the remains of the man, who has not been identified, and after a search that lasted nearly two days, they found a human skull and pair of pants.
“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 deceased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains,” Managing Executive of the KNP, Glenn Phillip said.
Authorities arrested the poacher's four accomplices and continue to investigate the incident.
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