According to a statement by South African National Parks published Sunday, a suspected poacher was trampled to death by a herd of elephants as he and two other men were attempting to run from Kruger National Park rangers.
One of the poachers was arrested and told the rangers that the group had run into a herd of breeding elephants and was not sure if his accomplice had managed to escape," the statement added.
"The Rangers discovered his accomplice badly trampled and unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. The third suspect is said to have been injured in the eye but continued to flee. A rifle was recovered and the case was referred to police, who together with the pathology team attended to the scene," the statement continued. A search for the third suspect is underway.
The suspected poachers were reported in the park looking for rhinoceros horns.
According to ABC-7, Gareth Coleman, managing executive of the Kruger National Park, urged the local community to assist in giving any information they had about the suspected poachers. "It is unfortunate that a life was unnecessarily lost. Only through discipline, teamwork and tenacity will we be able to help stem the tide of rhino poaching in KNP."
"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," he said.