The Sibuya Game Reserve in South Africa became the scene of a rather unusual attack recently. In the attack, 3 poachers were killed…But not killed by gunfire, they were eaten by lions.

It is thought that the men had broken into the game reserve to poach rhinos when a pride of six lions attacked and killed them Sunday night or Monday morning.

“They strayed into a pride of lions – it’s a big pride so they didn’t have too much time,” Mr Fox told AFP news agency. “We’re not sure how many there were – there’s not much left of them.”

The remains were not able to be recovered immediately. It was necessary to tranquilize several lions before they could be approached. If any poachers survived, they will likely be caught by the police who are patrolling the area.

Included among the items recovered at the scene were a head, bloodied limbs and 3 pairs of shoes. They also found equipment that poachers will often use for cutting off rhino horns.

“They strayed into a pride of lions – it’s a big pride so they didn’t have too much time,” Mr Fox told AFP news agency. “We’re not sure how many there were – there’s not much left of them.”

Many feel that the poachers got exactly what they deserved. One man even posted “Rest in pieces.”

Rest In Pieces https://t.co/0PqVt9mrBY

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 5, 2018

There were also some people contacting the reserve to check on the lions. According to Fox, the lions did not show any change in behavior.

“We have received many questions relating to the future of the six lions involved in the tragic incident surrounding the killing of suspected poachers.

“The six lions involved were darted (anesthetized) from a game viewing vehicle and their reaction to the vehicle at that time was closely monitored by myself, the veterinary staff as well as our conservation staff. Their behaviour appeared no different from that exhibited towards these vehicles over the last ten years.”

The general consensus in the game industry is that lions view a game viewing vehicle containing people as something entirely different from individuals who are walking on the ground. At Sibuya Game Reserve we only view game from specialised game viewing vehicles and not on foot due to the extremely dense bush and thick forest on the Reserve.

“Over the last few days game guides and anti-poaching staff have continued to drive game viewing vehicles in the vicinity of this pride to check for any behavioural differences and they have confirmed that to date there have been none.

“Although we will continue to be extremely vigilant we remain positive that this incident will not necessitate any changes to the status quo of our lions.

Poaching has been a serious problem in Africa recently. The demand for rhino horns has grown substantially in Asia. It is thought that rhinoceros horns have medicinal properties, even though human fingernails are made from the same material. Nine rhinos were killed this year by poachers in Eastern Cape province, the location of this reserve.