Staff at a South African reserve found the bleeding skull and limbs of at least two poachers who broke in to hunt rhinos.
Over the past few years, poachers have invaded the Sibuya Game Reserve numerous times because to the variety of animals there, especially its rhinoceros. The reserve is adjacent to the town of Kenton-on-Sea in southeast South Africa.
The bodies of two, possibly three, accused rhino poachers were discovered by rangers inside the reserve, having been mauled to death and consumed by the local lions in what some have dubbed an act of nature’s karma.
Nick Fox, the park’s owner, claimed that there were so few of the poachers’ bodies still lying around that it was hard for law enforcement to estimate how many people were actually slain.
One skull and a little section of the pelvis were the only remaining body parts, according to Fox.
However, game reserve staff members feel that we are talking about three males considering that most rhino poaching groups are made up of three people and that three sets of shoes and gloves were found close.
All five of the “Big 5” species—lions, rhinoceroses, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards—call Sibuya, a 30-square-mile reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, home.
According to Fox, staff members were made aware of an issue at 4:30 a.m. on July 2 by the reserve’s anti-poaching dogs. The dog owner then heard noises coming from the lions but decided not to investigate because it was typical of how the lions behaved in the morning.
It took a long time before one of the reserve’s rangers found the gory bodies of the poachers. The items the police and Sibuya workers found when they arrived on the scene included an ax, a high-powered rifle with a silencer, and wire cutters. Fox claims that this is a “surefire indicator of rhino poachers.”
A search squad in a helicopter was unsuccessful in finding any survivors. Another issue the authorities are looking into is how many people were actually eaten.
“We recovered enough body pieces and three pairs of empty shoes to imply that the lions ate at least three of them,” claims Fox, “but it is dense bush and there might be more.”
Recent years have seen a rise in poaching in Africa as a result of the increased demand for rhino horn in some parts of Asia. According to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, 1,028 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2017.
Rhino horns are in high demand in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, despite being made of the same material as human fingernails, due to the false notion that they have powerful medicinal properties. Poachers have a significant financial incentive because rhino horns may sell for up to $100,000 per kilogram (a little over two pounds) in some areas.
Although the incident was regrettable, Fox believed it should act as a cautionary tale to other poachers who placed themselves in danger by forcibly killing wildlife on his reserve. He said of the poachers, “The lions are our watches and protectors and they selected the wrong pride and became a meal.”
The majority of the 29,000 rhinos that are still alive today are found in South Africa.
