Stalked illegally in Kruger Park, an elephant killed him and a pack of lions devoured him – 07/04/2019

A poacher who had entered the Kruger Park, South Africa, died attacked by an elephant. His fellow pbadengers left their remains and when a group of rangers and police officers tried to save them, he discovered that they had been devoured by a pack of lions. They only found leftover clothes and a skull.

The murderous attack on the elephant took place on Tuesday, April 2nd, but it was only known this weekend. A group of men – who had entered Monday to hunt in Kruger Park – was surprised by the badault of an elephant. One of them is dead.

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Once the animal left, the companions of the pbadage decided to take the body of the victim – it did not transcend their identity or their age – until a nearby road, so that the next morning he be found by the locals.

And before they escaped, they warned a relative of the man, who was responsible for giving notice to the authorities. A group of forest guards and policemen then entered the park to search for the poacher.

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After several unsuccessful attempts to locate the body, the police launched an operation to arrest the victim's accomplices. Wednesday They caught three menbetween the ages of 26 and 35, who provided accurate data on where they left the body.

Thursday, finally, they managed to find the remains. "The indications are that a flock of lions has devoured the leftovers leaving just the skull and pants", explained in a statement the South African National Parks.

Kruger National Park Executive Director Glenn Phillips conveyed his condolences to the victim's family. "Entering and walking illegally in Kruger National Park is not very smart, there are many dangers and this incident is the proof," said Phillips. "It is very sad to see the girls crying in front of their father and, even worse, having been able to recover so little of their remains," he added.

The accomplices of the victim are arrested. On Friday, they appeared before the Komatipoort Court of First Instance. They are accused of possession of firearms and ammunition without a license, poaching plot and raid. In their possession, they found two .375 shotguns and ammunition. Next Friday, a new hearing will be held, which will determine whether bail is granted.

A reserve in danger

Kruger is the largest park and the one that houses the largest population of rhinos and elephants in South Africa, in addition to one of the main tourist attractions of the country. According to the most recent estimates, the country receives about 19,000 animals.

At the end of last year, a sharp increase in elephant deaths by poaching: until November 58 had been counted, while that in 2017, it was 32.

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"We had predicted an increase in the number of elephants killed for their ivory and we had taken more steps to mitigate the attacks," said Ike Phaahla, spokesperson for South Africa's national parks.

Poaching of rhinos is another tragedy that has grown in recent years: half of the slaughter of this species is recorded throughout South Africa. Hunters seek their horns, which are mainly sold in Asian markets, where they are attributed healing and aphrodisiac properties.

On the black market, the horn reaches values ​​between $ 60,000 and $ 80,000 per kilogram.

With data from DPA and EFE

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