Lions have eaten a suspected poacher, leaving just his head and rifle behind for officials to find over the weekend at a private game park near the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Police confirmed the incident, noting that the victim appeared to have been poaching in the game park when a pack of lions attacked and killed him, USA Today reported.
"They ate his body, nearly all of it, and just left his head and some remains," said police spokesman Moatshe Ngoepe, according to USA Today.
A rifle and ammunition were recovered next to the body.
Authorities are working to identify the victim, turning to the Department of Home Affairs in an effort to try and establish the man's background information and ultimately his residential address, Ngoepe told local media outlet, the Sowetan newspaper.
Initially police thought the victim to be a farmworker whose tractor had broken down, forcing him to walk back to the compound, however he was later found safe, NBC News noted.
The incident comes months after another suspected poacher was severely injured when a rhino he was tracking charged him in the northern Namibia's Etosha National Park, Sky News reported.
The man was taken to a nearby mountain by a group of other suspected poachers and was arrested a day later by police.
Wild animals such as lions are targeted by poachers looking to sell their body parts to be used in traditional medicine in South Africa, according to the AFP.
Rhinos in South Africa's game parks are also targeted by poachers looking to tap into a lucrative demand for rhino horns, which are believed to have medicinal qualities in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries.
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