An elephant killed a suspected poacher in South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park, a spokesman said Friday. The man’s body was discovered on Thursday in the park.
“Initial investigations suspect that the deceased was killed by an elephant and left behind by his accomplices,” Isaac Phaahla, spokesman for the park, told AFP.
When the elephant attacked one of the poachers, the other poachers left, Phaahla said. He added that no animal had been harmed. He said that the man’s cellphone was found and handed to the police to help find the other poachers.
Last year, another poacher was attacked by lions in Kruger National Park. That poacher’s accomplices called an emergency hotline to report him missing. Park rangers found the man’s head three days later, Phaahla said.
Kruger has been hard-hit by poaching, particularly of rhinos. The park reported in February that its rhino population had plunged by 70 percent in the last ten years, to just under 4,000.
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