The owner of the Sibuya Nature Reserve in South Africa made an unpleasant discovery on Thursday 5th July.
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The remains of at least three poachers were found, devoured by lions. The criminals had snuck into the heavily guarded animal park, with the aim of attacking the black rhinos that live in this preserved area. Their goal? To kill the rhinos and seize their horns, which are very expensive on the black market. A single rhinoceros horn sells for between £25,000 and £200,000 , depending on its size. That is more expensive than gold and cocaine.
Poaching gone wrong
Armed with axes and rifles, the hunters' plan obviously went badly wrong since their dismembered remains were discovered by reserve guards on Tuesday 3rd July in the morning.
Nick Fox, owner of this private nature reserve, told the press: 'They found themselves in the middle of a group of lions, a large group apparently, so they did not have a lot of time to react. We do not know exactly how many people they were, there is not much left. We found clothes for three people.'
Endangered species
Every year, thousands of rhinos are killed in Africa for their horn, much sought after by traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine practitioners. It is estimated that there will be no more than 5,000 black rhinos on the African continent, including 1,200 for South Africa alone. This country is also home to 20,000 white rhinos, which represents 80% of the world's population.
