Whoa! Poacher Killed by Elephant Then Eaten By Lions

A suspected poacher, who police say entered South Africa's Kruger National Park illegally, suffered a gruesome demise. The NY Times reports that the man and three accomplices were on the hunt for rhino horns, which can grab thousands of dollars on the black market, when an elephant attacked and killed him April 1. ABC says that the other suspects told police they left the man as it grew dark, and hoped someone would find him by morning.

What was later found by park rangers Thursday wasn't much. ABC says that all that was left was the man's skull and some shredded fabric. A pride of hungry lions had gotten to the man's dead body before rescuers could.

Kruger Managing Executive said in a statement:

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.

The South African Police Service said that the other men were arrested and charged with firearms offenses, trespassing and conspiracy to poach.

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