A suspected poacher has been eaten by lions near the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
South Africa’s Eye Witness News said police officers found a rifle and ammunition next to the body at the private nature reserve on Friday.
The animals left little behind, but some body parts and the man’s head.
Authorities had thought the body belonged to the driver of a tractor, who had gone missing, but he has since been found alive.
Read also: Protests welcome NHIS boss, Yusuf
“It seems the victim was poaching in the game park when he was attacked and killed by lions,” Limpopo police spokesman Moatshe Ngoepe said.
“They ate his body, nearly all of it, and just left his head and some remains.
“We are now waiting for a person from the family but we are also utilising our investigative resources to see if we can successfully identify the deceased,” the police’s Moatshe Ngoepe said.
The Home Affairs Department has also been roped in to assist in identifying the man.
Lion poaching has been on the rise in Limpopo province in recent years.
The big cats’ body parts are sometimes used in traditional medicine, both within Africa and beyond.
Wildlife charity the Born Free Foundation says lion bones and other body parts are increasingly sought-after in South East Asia, where they are sometimes used as a substitute for tiger bones.
In January 2017, three male lions were found poisoned in Limpopo with their paws and heads cut off.
