Pack of lions attack suspected poacher and maul him to death

A suspected poacher was mauled to death by a pack of lion in South Africa this Saturday morning. According to local police, little was left of the man’s body in the aftermath, except for his head. The attack too place in Kruger National Park, which is a private game reservation.

“It seems the victim was poaching in the game park when he was attacked and killed by lions,” a Limpopo police spokesman told AFP. “They ate his body, nearly all of it, and just left his head and some remains.”

Police say a loaded hunting rifle was found near the suspected poacher’s remains.

From AFP:

The remains were found at the weekend in the bush at a private game park near Hoedspruit in the northern province of Limpopo, where animals have been poached in increasing numbers over recent years.

Last year, several lions were found poisoned near a farm in the same province with their heads and paws sawn off.

Lion body parts are used in traditional medicine.

Poachers also often target rhinoceroses in South Africa’s game parks to feed a booming demand for rhino horn in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries, where it is believed to have medicinal qualities.

The man’s body has not yet been identified.

Featured image via Flickr