Lions make meal out of rhino poachers
AT least two rhino poachers have been mauled to death by lions on a South African game reserve, according to officials.
A ranger with guests discovered the remains of two, possibly three, people at the Sibuya Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. The remains, including one head and a number of limbs, were found on Tuesday afternoon – close to a pride of lions. A vet tranquilised the six lions in the pride so that police and staff could go inside and recover the remains of the mauled poachers. Sibuya owner Nick Fox said: ‘We suspect two were killed, possibly three. We found enough body parts and three pairs of empty shoes which suggest to us that the lions ate at least three of them but it is thick bush and there could be more. ‘They came heavily armed with hunting rifles and axes which we have recovered and enough food to last them for several days so we suspect they were after all of our rhinos here. But the lions are our watchers and guardians and they picked the wrong pride and became a meal. ‘While we are saddened at any loss of life, the poachers came here to kill our animals and this sends out a very clear message to any other poachers that you will not always be the winner.’ An axe and three pairs of shoes and gloves were found later when police and an anti-poaching unit arrived. The lions had been heard making a commotion in the early hours of Monday. ‘We thought they must have been rhino poachers but the axe confirmed it,’ Mr Fox added. ‘They use the rifle to shoot the animal and the axe to remove the horn.’ The game reserve is one of the most popular in the Eastern Cape with British tourists and is home to the Big Five of elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard and is set in 30 square miles. In 2016 the reserve lost three rhinos when poachers got into the park, shot them dead and cut off their horns. Police spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender confirmed that the remains had been found in the lion camp and that detectives were on the scene trying to work out how many were eaten. Captain Govender said: ‘We do not know identities but firearms have been taken by the police and will be sent to the ballistics laboratory to see if they have been used in poaching before.’