A suspected poacher was attacked and killed by an elephant in South Africa before his body was ravaged by lions, officials said.

The police were notified that a group of men had gone hunting for rhino in the Kruger National Park on April 1, South African Police Service said in a statement. An elephant suddenly attacked and killed one of the men. His accomplices carried the body to the road so passersby could find it. The men then left the park.

Police and park rangers launched a search for the body, Kruger National Park said in a statement. What they later found at the scene suggested that the body was devoured by a pride of lions. Only a human skull and a pair of pants remained.

“Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that. It is very sad to see the daughters of the diseased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains," said Glenn Phillips, managing executive of the park.

The man's four accomplices were taken into custody, facing charges of possession of firearms and ammunition without a licence, conspiracy to poach and trespassing.

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