Elephant kills suspected poacher in South Africa

Elephant with baby in the woods
Elephant with baby, photo by paweldotio on Unsplash

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.

The Animal Reader is an animal news organisation and posts daily articles about animals. If you can, please consider supporting our work. 

Previous articleEscaped puma still missing in France, petition not to kill him
Next articleGlobal protest against Hermès for exploiting crocodiles for their bags

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here