A skull and pants were the last vestiges of his existence.
On Thursday, April 4th, park rangers were combing South Africa’s Kruger National Park for a fresh set of human remains. It was the second day of the search. Late that afternoon, they found the surprisingly scant remains of the suspected rhino poacher.
According to the suspect’s accomplices, the group of five entered Kruger Tuesday night, April 2nd, with the intent of killing rhinos and making off with their valuable horns. Kruger’s wild critters generally are not too wild about people stomping around on their turf. Their moonlight encroachment so incensed an elephant that it took the opportunity to stomp one of their entourage into the dirt.
There’s an old saying, “there is no honor among thieves.” With that in mind, the survivors “got the hell out of Dodge,” (another old saying), leaving the body of their old buddy behind. Once safe however, they did take the time to inform the victim’s family of the man’s untimely demise.
The family immediately notified rangers who began a search the following day. But even with the detailed direction of the other (alleged) poachers, there was no corpus delecti.
Day two, rangers picked up where they left off and recovered the meager remains of the (alleged) poacher. It seems a pride of lions had been the lucky recipients of the angry elephant’s ire and enjoyed quite the feast. A pair of pants and a skull were the only parts the big cats found unappetizing.
The four other (alleged) poachers are in the local clink awaiting trial.
Glenn Phillips, managing director of Kruger shared a warning. “Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise. It holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that.”
Well, “Geen kak, Sherlock.” (An old Afrikaner saying.)
Rhino poaching incidents in the country have declined over the last few years, thanks in large part to an environmental initiative from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs. Still the illegal practice remains a considerable threat to the species.
