The men are suspected of trying to poach rhinos.
A suspected poacher was killed by a herd of elephants that he encountered while fleeing from park rangers in South Africa.
According to a statement by South African National Parks published this week, three suspected rhino poachers were attempting to flee Kruger National Park rangers when they ran into an elephant breeding herd.
“When they realised they had been spotted, the suspected poachers dropped an axe and a bag with their provisions in an attempt to escape from the rangers,” SANParks said.
A rifle was also recovered by park rangers.
One suspect was subsequently arrested and and he told “rangers that the group had run into a herd of elephants and was not sure if his accomplice had managed to escape”.
The man’s suspected accomplice was later discovered “badly trampled” and dead from his injuries.
A third suspect escaped the scene and a search for him is underway. It’s believed he suffered an eye injury in the incident.
“The campaign against poaching is the responsibility of all us; it threatens many livelihoods, destroys families and takes much-needed resources to fight crime, which could be used for creating jobs and development,” Gareth Coleman, managing executive of Kruger National Park, said in a statement.
