South Africa: Suspected poacher trampled by elephant

Johannesburg, South Africa | A spokesman for the famous park (northeast) said Friday that an elephant had trampled a suspected poacher in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

The crumpled body was found Thursday during an anti-poaching operation in the park, spokesman Isaac Fahla told AFP.

The hunter did not have time to injure the elephants in the park: one of them jumped on him and the other hunters who came with him were able to flee. “According to the first elements of the investigation, the deceased was killed by an elephant and left by his accomplices,” he explained.

The elephant surprisingly secured the man’s cell phone, allowing guards to be handed over to police to help track down other poachers.

Lions also attacked poachers in Krugarh last year. The victim’s colleagues called the emergency number to report his disappearance. The lions left only the head of the hunter found three days later.

Kruger Park is a hunter-gatherer diet, especially for rhinos. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently warned of a 70% decline in the rhino population in the park with 4,000 rhinos.

But with new technology and an increase in the number of patrols catching suspects before they act, the park has been able to reduce the number of animals killed over the past two years.

Travel restrictions due to Kovid-19 also promoted the park in the fight against poaching.

According to Park, the number of animals hunted has dropped by 37% compared to last year.

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