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Elephants Trample Poacher to Death in Kruger Park Incident

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Elephants Trample Poacher

Elephants trampled a poacher to death as he aimed at a white rhino.
He entered with another man, both armed with a high-powered rifle and axe.
Park spokesman JP Louw said elephants likely attacked to protect rhinos after illegal entry via Pafuri.
Kruger National Park contains roughly 1,850 white rhinos, an area comparable to Wales.
Poachers killed 175 rhinos last year, with horns fetching up to twenty-times higher Far-East prices.

Summary

Police Arrest Accomplice

Police arrested the surviving accomplice after he led rangers to the incident site.
Rangers pursued the suspects along the Luvuvhu River for about six kilometres inside the park.
Investigators recovered a buffalo carcass believed to have been illegally killed.
The men entered the park through the Pafuri area on 11 September 2026.
South African Police Service will conduct forensic examinations to determine the cause of death.

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Elephants Trample Poacher

Elephants trampled a poacher to death as he aimed at a white rhino.
He entered with another man, both armed with a high-powered rifle and axe.
Park spokesman JP Louw said elephants likely attacked to protect rhinos after illegal entry via Pafuri.
Kruger National Park contains roughly 1,850 white rhinos, an area comparable to Wales.
Poachers killed 175 rhinos last year, with horns fetching up to twenty-times higher Far-East prices.

1 / 2