Authorities in South Africa have said that a suspected poacher has been killed after being trampled by a group of elephants. It is believed that the poacher was hunting rhinos at the time he was attacked.
The incident is said to have occurred in Kruger National Park where a large number of animals roam free. The park is a protected area and is policed by a team of heavily armed anti-poaching rangers who protect the animals inside.
The death was revealed after the rangers came across three poachers and began chasing them. One of the men was captured, but the others managed to escape. The man that had been captured then revealed that elephants had killed one of their party.
After investigating this, the poachers found a man's heavily damaged body, he was dead by the time they arrived.
Managing Executive of the Kruger National Park, Gareth Coleman, told reporters:
"We are proud of the teamwork and dedication of our Rangers Corp, our aviators and the K9 unit. It is unfortunate that a life was unnecessarily lost. Only through discipline, teamwork and tenacity will we be able to help stem the tide of rhino poaching in KNP."
"The campaign against poaching is the responsibility of all us; it threatens many livelihoods, destroys families and takes much-needed resources to fight crime which could be used for creating jobs and development."
The poaching of rhinos and elephants poses a threat to the very existence of these animals in the wild. Poachers often hunt these animals in order to take their horns and tusks and then sell them on to the black market for huge amounts of money. Much of the stolen ivory is sold in the far-East where it is used for ornaments and in traditional medicines.
There are currently only 27,000 rhinos in the wild, a drop from 70,000 in 1970. Similarly, there are only 415,000 elephants in the wild, their numbers have dropped by over 100,000 in the last decade alone. Poaching and habitat destruction, and an increase in human settlements, has put pressure on both species.
[h/t: Daily Mail]
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