Suspected poacher found dead after encounter with elephants in Kruger

A suspected poacher who entered Kruger National Park illegally was found dead after an encounter with a herd of elephants, SANParks said.

How the incident unfolded

SANParks spokesman JP Louw said the two men crossed into the park through the Pafuri area in the far north of Kruger on Friday and walked into a herd of elephants. The pair separated and ran in different directions.

One of the men left the park and returned home, where he raised the alarm saying his partner was missing and that he had heard him screaming.

Search, discovery and arrest

Louw said the matter was reported to police and that the surviving man was arrested with the help of the local community. He took rangers from the Pafuri ranger post back to the area where the two had split up and admitted he had entered the park illegally.

“Rangers followed tracks from the Luvuvhu River for approximately six kilometres into the park,” Louw said.

The dead man was found at the end of that trail, about six kilometres inside the park, SANParks said.

Evidence recovered and next steps

Rangers also came across the remains of a buffalo during the search, which SANParks believes the two men had killed.

Louw said the police would continue with the investigation and carry out forensic work to establish how the man died.