Elephant Tramples Poacher: Illegal Hunting Trip in Charara Safari Proves Deadly

Talk about instant karma.

A botched poaching trip at the protected Charara safari inside a national park turned out to be deadly--but not for the animals. 

According to Zimbabwe's Sunday Mail, an elephant charged toward a man after he entered the game reserve for an illegal hunting trip with a friend, and trampled him to death.

The dead man (Solomon Manjoro) and his alleged accomplice Noluck Tafuruka, 29, were spotted in the park, where Tafuruka was later arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm.

Sources believe that Manjoro and Tafuruka encountered the elephant after entering the huge game reserve at the end of April.

As police believe the men were allegedly carrying unlicensed weapons, when they attempted to shoot the elephant, it charged towards Manjoro out of fear from previous poaching experiences.

Fifty-two-year-old Godfrey Shonge, who was also allegedly involved in the incident, has been arrested. The pair appeared last week in court to face charges of illegal possession of firearms and of contravention of local wildlife laws.

The magistrate was told Manjoro and Tafuruka had entered the National Park between April 19 and 26 with the sole intention of poaching.

Incidents of elephant poaching have been on the rise in recent years, driven by increased demand for ivory.

The valuable substance is sold on the black market and often smuggled to Asian countries including China, where it is used for ornaments and jewellery.