Lions Fatally Maul Poachers Who Broke into Reserve to Hunt Rhinos
By Lia Eustachewich
Poachers broke into a rhinocerous reserve on an illegal hunt — and wound up as dinner for a pride of hungry lions.
At least three hunters were torn to shreds by six big cats at the Sibuya Game Reserve in Kenton-on-Sea, South Africa, where staffers this week discovered bloody body parts including a head and limbs.
“The lions are our watchers and guardians and they picked the wrong pride and became a meal,” reserve owner Nick Fox, 60, said of the poachers, the Daily Express reported.
“Whilst 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,” Fox warned.
In a statement posted Thursday on the reserve’s Facebook page, Fox said the break-in by at least three poachers occurred late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
“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,” Fox said.
A helicopter was called in to search for more hunters but none were found.
The six lions had to be tranquilized for the human remains to be recovered.
Also recovered were hunting rifles, gloves and axes, proof the poachers were after rhinos, Fox said.
“They were armed with high-powered rifles with silencers and an ax for the horns and wire cutters and sidearms and they had enough food with them to last for many days,” noted Fox. “They were clearly intent on killing rhinos and cutting off their horns.”
Police were working on determining how many rhinos were killed and whether the bandits had struck before.
Poachers have broken into the reserve before. The popular, 30-square-mile tourist attraction in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province is also home to leopards, elephants, zebras, giraffes and buffalo.
In 2016, hunters shot and killed three rhinos in the park before removing their horns.
South Africa is home to more than 80 percent of the world’s rhinos. Their horns are sought after for dubious medical benefits throughout Asia.
More than 1,000 rhinos were slaughtered for their horns in the country last year. – New York Post
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