At least two rhinoceros poachers eaten by lions on South African game reserve
Poaching of animals such as lions has been on the increase in the South African province of Limpopo. (ABC News: Dingani Masuku, file photo)
At least two rhino poachers have been eaten by lions on a South African game reserve, the owner of the lodge said.
A ranger taking guests at the Sibuya Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape on a safari drive on Tuesday afternoon discovered human remains close to a pride of lions.
"We suspect two were killed, possibly three,"Sibuya owner Nick Fox said.
An axe and three pairs of shoes and gloves were found later when police and an anti-poaching unit arrived.
The lions had been heard making a commotion in the early hours of Monday.
"We thought they must have been rhino poachers but the axe confirmed it," Mr Fox said.
"They use the rifle to shoot the animal and the axe to remove the horn."
Poachers hunt rhinos for their horns, killing thousands each year. (Reuters: Philimon Bulawayo)
South Africa is home to more than 80 per cent of the world's rhinos, whose population has been depleted by poaching for buyers in Vietnam and China where rhino horn is coveted as an ingredient in traditional medicine.
More than 1,000 rhinos were killed in South Africa last year.
Earlier this year lions killed and ate a poacher, leaving only his head and some remains.
Last year lions were found poisoned near a farm in the province with their heads and paws cut off.
Body parts of lions are also used in traditional medicine.
Reuters/ABC