A poacher was trampled by an elephant and then eaten by lions according to South African police.
The man is believed to be a rhino poacher who entered South Africa’s Kruger National Park with a group of other men.
His accomplices told the victim’s relatives that he had been killed, before his family then informed rangers in the park.
A search party attempted to find the body, but after a lengthy search found a pair of trousers a human skull on Thursday.
Police say that his remains were found in the Crocodile Bridge section of the park.
Police brigadier Lenoard Hlathi told The Guardian that “an elephant attacked and killed” a member of the group.
“His accomplices claimed to have carried his body to the road so that passersby could find it in the morning. They then vanished from the park.”
Human skull
Issac Phaahla, general communications manager at the park, said: “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.”
Three men were arrested, aged 26-35, in the Komatipost and KaMhlushwa precincts according to police.
They made a court appearance on April 5 charged with conspiracy to poach, trespassing, and possession of firearms without a licence.
Kruger’s 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.”
Kruger National Park has the greatest concentration of rhinos in the world, so is a big target for poachers - mostly looking to secure the animal’s horn.
South Africa houses around 80% of the planet’s rhinos, seeing over 1,000 killed each year between 2013 and 2017.
The figure fell to 769 in 2018, according to animal charity Save the Rhino.
An inquest has been launched into the man’s death.
