Man who ‘broke into national park to poach rhinos’ trampled to death by elephant then eaten by lions Only a human skull, a pair of trousers and a shoe were recovered

A suspected rhino poacher met a grizzly end when he was eaten by a pride of lions, after being trampled to death by an elephant.

The incident has come to light after reportedly happening in South Africa’s Kruger National Park on Tuesday evening.

The unnamed man was working in a group, who informed the victim’s family of his death. The man’s family then notified Don English, the Skukuza regional ranger.

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A statement released by the park confirmed that a search party attempted to locate the man’s remains, but found only a human skull, a pair of trousers and a shoe.

“Skukuza police were notified immediately and are currently busy with further investigations into the incident,” it read.

Poaching accomplices arrested

Four other members of the poaching party have been arrested and are reportedly expected to appear in court soon.

Managing executive of the park, Glenn Phillips, extended his condolences to the victim’s family.

Read more: Why pangolin poaching is difficult to stop

“Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise,” he said. “It holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that.

“It was very sad to see the daughters of the deceased man mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains,” he said.

Demand for rhino horn persists

Kruger National Park faces persistent challenges from poachers, due to the ongoing demand for rhino horn in East Asia.

On Saturday, officials at Hong Kong airport seized the largest haul of rhino horn in five years.

The shipment was valued at £1.6 million.

Read more: Young captive Asian elephants are dying due to the stress of being taken from their mothers to work in tourism

South Africa holds nearly 80 per cent of the world’s rhinos, with more than 1,000 killed by poachers each year between 2013 and 2017, according to conservation charity Save The Rhino.

In just one decade, more than 8,300 African rhinos have been killed by poachers.

Most illegal activity occurs in Kruger National Park, which sits on South Africa’s north-eastern border with Mozambique.