Illegal animal poaching is a serious crime and a major issue for wildlife conservationists. Endangered animals like rhinos and elephants are constantly threatened by these heartless hunters.
And poaching is a bad idea — not only because its immoral, but because it is dangerous. Wild animals can be dangerous and won’t hesitate to defend themselves when threatened. There have been many stories of poachers setting out to kill an animal, only to be the one who ends up dead.
That was the case last week, after a suspected poacher was found dead in South Africa, apparently killed by an elephant.
Kruger National Park, the largest wildlife sanctuary in South Africa, announced the news on social media that the body of the suspected poacher was found on October 21.
The statement says that the poacher was likely killed by an elephant, and that the suspect was “left behind by his accomplices.”
“Management continues to warn poachers that it is dangerous to hunt illegally in the KNP,” the park wrote. “Criminals stand to lose their lives and freedom.”
Thankfully, no animals were found killed in the area. The identity of the suspected poacher has not been released.
Poaching is a regular problem at Kruger National Park, and rangers have to be vigilant to protect their wildlife. Earlier this month, they announced they had arrested four suspected rhino poachers. One poacher was sentenced to 19 years in custody for “killing and dehorning a rhino.”
They also said that they had a 29.41% increase in poaching arrests between July and September compared to the same period last year.
Not only is poaching a dire threat to endangered, protected wildlife, but it needlessly puts the poacher’s life at risk as well. Poachers are frequently killed by wild animals — and while the loss of any human life is tragic, it’s hard not to see it as an ironic comeuppance.
“I would like to kiss that elephant and give it a watermelon,” says one reply to the news.
The animals got back at him in the end. It’s a reminder of how reckless and dangerous poaching is — killing an endangered animal is wrong, and certainly not worth risking your own life over.
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