A suspected poacher has died after after being trampled on by elephants in South Africa's Kruger National Park.
The South African National Parks (SANParks) on Sunday said the deceased and his two colleagues had been running away from park's field rangers "when they ran into a breeding herd of elephants".
SANParks said the rangers arrested one of the suspects, who told them of their encounter with the elephants. He said he was unsure if his colleagues had escaped.
"The Rangers discovered his accomplice badly trampled and who had unfortunately succumbed to his injuries," the parks body said in a statement.
"The third suspect is said to have been injured in the eye but continued to flee. A rifle was recovered and the case was referred to police, whom together with the pathology team attended to the scene," it added.
Kruger National Park executive Gareth Coleman said it was unfortunate that a life had been lost, while congratulating all those involved in the arrests for their "teamwork and dedication".
In 2019, a suspected rhino poacher was trampled on by an elephant and then eaten by a pride of lions in the park.