Poacher trampled to death by herd of elephants while ‘lining up shot’ to kill white rhino at park in South Africa

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A POACHER has been trampled to death by a herd of elephants just as he was “lining up” to shoot and kill a prized white rhino – as his accomplice fled.

The two men had crossed into the iconic Kruger National Park in South Africa in the hope of cashing in on the coveted rhino horn.

Little did they know the white rhino herd had been joined at the watering hole by a family of African elephants, who were looking for shelter from the midday heat.

As the poachers closed in on the pair, armed with a powerful rifle and axe, the elephants suddenly emerged from the bush and charged at them.

A Kruger National Park source said: “The two ran in different directions but the one lining up the shot was the slowest to his feet and the elephants went for him first.

“He was quickly overrun and the elephants trampled him into the earth and all that we found was basically a very large blood stain around the clothing he was in.

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There was little sympathy on Facebook, with one user writing: “The elephants are the gatekeepers! I wish the hyenas got to them after they did”.

Another wrote: “Elephants have done justice for the targeted rhinos!

“Big ups to the elephant family for helping the game rangers do their job out there”.

There are some 1,850 white rhinos in the South African park, which equals Wales in size and is home to the Big 5, namely, the elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard.

The white rhino horn is valued at around £10,000 and is worth more than its weight in gold or cocaine on the black market.

Made from keratin, the horn is highly prized in eastern medicine and sold in potions as “magic cures”.

It is not the first time nature has turned against humans.

Back in 2018, three poachers broke into the Sibuya Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape in the hope of hunting down a white rhino for its horn.

A resident pride of lions then pounced on the three men and tore them to shreds, despite the fact they were armed with weapons and an axe.

All that was found were three empty pairs of shoes and their guns, along with some bloodied remains.

The heads were never found.

A year later at Kruger National Park three poachers were fleeing park rangers when they stumbled across a herd of elephants near to the rhinos.

One of the poachers was trampled to death and his remains were eaten by a pack of lions, while the other two managed to escape.

However, they were eventually tracked down.

It is unclear how many poachers are killed by wild animals each year in Africa, as anyone who escapes the attack is unlikely to report it and risk exposing their crime.