These lions went lion.
CNN reports a pride of lions killed a group of suspected poachers who made their way onto a South African game reserve to hunt rhinos. The human remains were found by a guide at the Sibuya Game Reserve earlier this week next to the lions' den, but the reserve owner, Nick Fox, says they won't be able to determine how many people were killed since their remains were found splattered around. But he's sure they were poachers.
"We're almost 100% sure this is connected to rhino poaching," Fox said, per CNN.
South African Police Service Capt. Mali Govender also released a statement on the incident: "Investigators and specialists combed the scene and managed to retrieve remains, which were taken by the Department of Health to conduct forensic testing," he said. "Investigation continues and at this stage we are unable to speculate as to how the remains ended up at the scene."
The news comes after a Kentucky woman, Tess Thompson Talley, came under fire for hunting and killing a rare giraffe in South Africa. Several social media users, including Will & Grace actress Debra Messing, have condemned the hunter for the kill. Talley has since defended herself.
"The giraffe I hunted was the South African subspecies of giraffe," Talley told Today. "The numbers of this subspecies is actually increasing due, in part, to hunters and conservation efforts paid for in large part by big-game hunting. The breed is not rare in any way other than it was very old. Giraffes get darker with age."
As for the lions, Fox told CNN his staff and guests don't go near the lions unless they're riding in big trucks. He also said the lions have never shown any aggression toward the cars passing through.
