Poacher trampled to death by elephants while lining up shot on white rhino for £10,000 payday
Elephants have performed capital punishment on a poacher in South Africa's Kruger National Park.
Via The Daily Mail, it's reported that two men carrying an axe and a rifle were sizing up white rhinoceros in the area, hopeful of cashing in on their prized horns.
Unbeknownst to the hunters, though, a herd of elephants was nearby, sheltering from the scorching sun beneath the treeline.
Before the money-hungry interlopers could take their valuable shot at the rhinos, the empathetic, parachute-eared mammals pounced on them.
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A source from the Kruger National Park went on to add: "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 bloodstain around the clothing he was in.
"Elephants are extremely intelligent and, as they say, never forget, and may well have witnessed poachers before sneaking up on rhinos and went to protect them," they continued.
"For us it's a big boost when the animals win and poachers lose. The Kruger is huge and we can't be everywhere so it's nice when the nellies give us some help!"
The surviving poacher has since been arrested by the South African police and awaits a criminal trial.
An alert was initially raised at the Pafuri Ranger Lodge, leading to a four-mile hike that eventually brought rangers to the grisly death site.
JP Louw, a spokesperson for South African National Parks, revealed: "We received information that two poachers entered the park illegally through the Pafuri area to hunt.
"It would seem they encountered a herd of elephants and fled in different directions, and one suspect on returning home later reported his accomplice was missing.
"He said while he was running away he heard loud screaming and after his arrest he led us back to that area and we discovered the body of the trampled suspect."
There are said to be around 1,850 white rhinos within the Kruger game reserve, which stretches to 7,523 square miles.
Unfortunately for them, their keratin horns are big business in the oriental medicine market and sell for between $20,000 (£14,832) and $60,000 (£44,497) per kilogram.
Over on Facebook, users reacting to the trampled poacher news were universally in favour of the outcome.
"The elephants are the gatekeepers! I wish the hyenas got to them after they did," wrote one person.
"Elephants have done justice for the targeted rhinos! Big ups to the elephant family for helping the game rangers do their job out there," echoed a second.
Dan Seddon