An armed poacher was trampled to death by a herd of elephants in South Africa's Kruger National Park as he attempted to hunt a white rhino for its horn. The incident occurred when the poacher and an accomplice entered the park with a rifle and an axe, seeking to gain approximately £10,000 from the sale of the rhino horn.
The two men were reportedly approaching a herd of white rhinos near a water source, where a group of African elephants were also seeking refuge from the sun. As the poachers closed in on the rhinos, the elephants emerged from the trees and charged at them. The two men fled in different directions, but the poacher who was in the process of lining up his shot was overtaken by the elephants and trampled to death.
A Kruger National Park source described the scene, stating that only a large bloodstain and the poacher's clothing remained. The surviving accomplice managed to escape and was later arrested. He led park rangers to the location where the incident took place.
Park officials noted the intelligence of elephants and suggested they may have acted protectively, potentially having witnessed poaching activities before. "For us it's a big boost when the animals win and poachers lose," a park source commented. "The Kruger is huge and we can't be everywhere so it's nice when the nellies give us some help!"
There are approximately 1,850 white rhinos in Kruger National Park. In the previous year, 175 rhinos were killed by poachers for their horns, which are highly valued in some Asian markets for their perceived medicinal properties, despite being composed of keratin, the same substance as human fingernails.
South African National Parks spokesman JP Louw confirmed that information was received about two poachers entering the park illegally. He stated that the surviving suspect reported his accomplice missing after hearing screams while fleeing. Following the arrest, the survivor led authorities to the area where the trampled suspect's body was discovered.
The surviving suspect has been handed over to the South African Police Service for prosecution. Rangers followed tracks about six kilometers inland from the Pafuri Ranger Lodge to a riverbed near a rhino herd where the body was found.
This incident is not the first time poachers have met a violent end in South African wildlife reserves. In 2018, three poachers in the Sibuya Game Reserve were reportedly killed and eaten by lions after attempting to hunt rhinos. In another incident that same year, only the head and rifle of a poacher were found near a rhino herd at the Ingwelala Private Game Reserve, indicating he had also been preyed upon by lions. In 2019, also in Kruger National Park, one of three poachers was trampled to death by elephants while fleeing rangers, with his body later found to have been eaten by lions.