It's understood that all that was left were the heads of the poachers alongside some remains.
It is believed that a group of suspected poachers, set out to hunt game animals, were attacked and eaten by a pack of lions in a private game reserve in South Africa last weekend.
According to the reserve's owner, at least three people were mauled to death in an area of Sibuya Game Reserve in South Africa's Eastern Province, an area synonymous with poaching.
What was left of their bodies was found on Monday morning next to a high powered rifle with a silencer, an axe, wire cutters and food supplies for a number of days – something the reserve is calling "all the hallmarks of a gang intent on killing rhino and removing their horns".
According to a recent post by the reserve's owner, anti-poaching dogs alerted their handlers to something amiss on Sibuya's grounds, which appeared to be located next to a pride of six lions.
"At about 4.30 pm on Tuesday 3 July, one of our field guides on game drive alerted the Anti-Poaching Unit that there appeared to be human remains as well as other items in the immediate vicinity of the lions," Nick Fox, owner of Sibuya Game Reserve wrote.
"I was immediately called to the scene where along with the APU we found the high powered rifle, gloves, wire cutters and the remains of a backpack with food, water and other supplies.
"We immediately alerted the Indalo (Association of Eastern Cape Game Reserves) Anti-Poaching Cluster and the Police.
"Clearly, the poachers had walked into a pride of six lions and some, if not all had been killed."
Local police forensic teams, assisted by Sibuya's Anti-poaching unit, are continuing the investigation with the aim to identify the bodies' remains.
