Frik Russouw, senior investigator of the South African National Parks Environmental Unit, walks towards the scene where a poached rhino was found in the Kruger National Park in South Africa on Aug. 21, 2018. (Wikus De Wet/AFP/Getty Images) Poacher Eaten by Lions After Getting Killed by Elephant A poacher was allegedly killed after being trampled by an elephant and his remains later eaten by a pride of lions before being recovered by park rangers in Kruger National Park in South Africa on April 4. According to a press release from South African National Parks, members of the poachers group called the family of the deceased and notified them that their relative had been killed by an elephant on April 2 while they were in Kruger Park to poach rhinoceros. The family then called Skukuza Regional Ranger Don English, who assured the family he would do everything possible to bring them closure and recover the man’s remains. English arranged a search party, composed of rangers on foot, accompanied by members of the KNP Airwing. KNP Airwing flew over the described area, but due to nightfall could not locate the remains. . @APIGSA SAPS #Airwing, incl #chopper & pilots are deployed in KNP re #RhinoPoaching (pic at Skukuza airport) SD pic.twitter.com/mFAR2axL8g — SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) March 23, 2015 The team resumed the search on the morning of April 4, after being provided with further information from the deceased’s alleged accomplices, who had been arrested during the previous evening by police. “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,” said the Kruger National Park press release. Further investigations into the incident are being conducted by Skukuza police. The South African Police Service (SAPS) tweeted that, “A human skull found in the Kruger National Park (KNP) is believed to be that of a man reportedly killed by an elephant while poaching with his accomplices on 01/04; duo arrested, rifles & ammo seized.” #sapsMP Komatipoort: A human skull found in the Kruger National Park (KNP) is believed to be that of a man reportedly killed by an elephant while poaching with his accomplices on 01/04; duo arrested, rifles & ammo seized. MEhttps://t.co/XXsXpJqTjA pic.twitter.com/4Oye38Eddh — SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) April 6, 2019 According to a press release on April 6 from the South African Police Service (SAPS), the poachers set out into Kruger National Park on April 1 and claimed to have carried the dead man’s body out to the road, so that he would be found by those passing by in the morning. They then fled the park and were arrested after a joint intelligence operation by police. The human skull and pieces of clothing were found during the search operation by police and rangers. In total, three men aged between 26 and 35 were arrested and two .375 hunting rifles and ammunition were seized. 06:35 3 Shishangeni males and 2 female lions on the move north direction S25, 3km W of H4-2 Near Crocodile Bridge 5/5 Tinged by Jean Discover Kruger Safaris pic.twitter.com/dHzbnv98r1 — Kruger Sightings (@LatestKruger) April 6, 2019 The suspects appeared in court on April 5 and faced charges of conspiracy to poach, trespassing, and possession of firearms and ammunition without a license. They are due back in court on April 12, pending a formal bail application. Glenn Phillips, managing executive of Kruger National Park, commended those who participated in the search party and helped the family find closure, offering condolences to the relatives of the deceased. “Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that,” said Phillips in the press release. “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.”<doc-sep>Elephants in Kruger National Park killed a rhino poacher, whose body was then eaten by lions, on April 2, 2019. Here, an image of an elephant walking behind a pride of lions in the national park in South Africa. A suspected rhino poacher in South Africa's Kruger National Park was killed by an elephant last week, park officials have announced. Lions then scavenged the poacher's remains. The story has emerged as something of a feel-good tale on social media, even as conservationists warn against viewing poaching in simplistic terms. "This is always disappointing to see," tweeted Sabah Ibrahim, a naturalist and environmental educator. "The demand for rhino horn comes from extremely wealthy consumers who almost never face any form of justice, and the poachers themselves are more often than not desperate people existing in crushing post-colonial poverty." [In Photos: The Last 5 Northern White Rhinos] Death and lions The news originated with a press release from Kruger National Park. Officials there report that they were contacted by the family of a man who said that their relative's body had been left in the park. The man was allegedly with at least four others who were hunting rhinoceroses when he was killed by an elephant on Tuesday, April 2. Park rangers searched for the body on foot and in an aircraft, but they weren't able to find it until Thursday morning, after they arrested the other alleged poachers and found out from them where they had left the body. By that time, park officials said, lions had scavenged the man's corpse, leaving behind only his skull and a pair of pants. The news was shared on Twitter alongside comments like, "karma" and "finally some good news." But many conservationists were troubled by the rhetoric. "Did the death of this poacher cause even the tiniest iota of reduction in the demand for rhino horn?" Ibrahim tweeted. "Did the person at the other end of the transaction suffer at all? No. So there's no 'karma.'" Solving poaching Poaching is a tragic problem in Kruger National Park and elsewhere. In 2017, a white rhinoceros was killed, even while it was in a zoo in France, highlighting the risks poachers are willing to take to get rhinoceros horn. Although the horn is just keratin, the same material that makes up nails and hair, it is valued in traditional Eastern medicine and often bought as a status symbol. Even as rhinoceros numbers dwindle, poaching has skyrocketed over the past decade. A 2016 report by conservation group Save the Rhino found that the rarity of rhino horns was part of the appeal among Chinese consumers, particularly those who saw the horns as a luxury good. An international report released in 2017 found that 1,342 rhinoceroses in Africa were poached in 2015, compared with only 60 in 2002. And, since Kruger National Park is home to Africa's largest rhino population, it has suffered the most severe rhino poaching of any area, that report noted. The largest importer of rhino horn, at least as measured by seizures by law enforcement, was Vietnam, that report found. China and Hong Kong followed. The international black market that supplies these horns relies on hunters willing to risk their lives in Africa for far less money than the horns will eventually secure, once sold. (This is not the first time that lions have eaten a poacher.) "Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise; it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that," Kruger managing executive Glenn Phillips said in a statement. "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." Originally published on Live Science.<doc-sep>The poachers told the man’s family what happened. The relatives then called park officials, who started a search to recover his remains. A human skull and a pair of pants were recovered Thursday. A pride of lions is believed to have eaten the man after he was crushed. Park officials offered a warning and their condolences to the man’s family.<doc-sep>
Animals got the upper hand in a battle with poachers in Africa's Kruger National Park. A man who was poaching rhinos with a group in the national park was trampled to death by an elephant and his remains were then eaten by a pride of lions, the Letaba Herald reported. While the other hunters escaped death from the elephant, they didn't get out completely unscathed. After the elephant trampled their hunting partner to death, the remaining members of the group notified the man's family. The relatives of the deceased man then called park officials, who launched a search for the man and also arrested the remaining four members of the group for poaching. The search crew in the park was eventually able to find the missing hunter's remains, which at that point was only a human skull and a pair of pants. The lions ate the rest, park officials said. Park officials offered condolences to the man's family, but also issued a warning to others about entering the park on their own. "Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that," park manager Glenn Phillips told the Letaba Herald. "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." This is not the first time that a poacher has gotten the worst of an encounter with a wild animal. Last February, a poacher who was hunting lions at a private game reserve in South Africa was attacked and killed by a pride of lions. As the Daily Mail reported, some workers at Ingwelala Private Nature Reserve heard the hunter screaming for help and fired guns to scare away the lions, eventually finding his bloodied body. Lions are critically endangered in the area, but are frequently targeted by poaches for their skeletons, skins, teeth, and fur. The lion's teeth alone can fetch up to $700, while a full skin is worth more than $4,000. Suspected rhino poacher killed by elephant then eaten by lions on game reserve, authorities say https://t.co/NKtHbRWyNP pic.twitter.com/xPUFyHPbkF — The Hill (@thehill) April 6, 2019 It's not clear what punishment the rhino poachers could face after being arrested in Kruger National Park, but some African countries have come down very hard on poachers. As the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project noted, three poachers arrested for targeting rhinos in South Africa were given more than 500 years in prison for killing 55 animals between 2013 and 2016.