WARNING: DISTRESSING IMAGES TO FOLLOW
In South Africa, poachers have murdered five lions in disturbing attacks.
One lion had both its face and paws torn off.
Akwaaba Predator Park staff in Limpopo said the lions were poisoned in an attack.
The staff is now offering a reward for any information.
SEE ALSO: Poachers Eaten By Lions After Coming To South Africa Nature Reserve To Kill Rhinos
After breaking into the enclosure of Mufasa – named after The Lion King character – chopping off his face and front paws after poisoning the animal. Staff are afraid parts of the lion could have been ordered by a “trophy hunter” or sold to be used for black magic.
The park’s manager, Bronwyn Moss, told the Citizen:
“At around 11.30am, security guards patrolling the farm contacted the farm manager and told him that something was wrong with the lions. When the farm manager arrived at the site, he discovered the dead lions. He saw a lot of blood in one cage and found that one lion’s two front feet and face were chopped off. We suspect that the lions were all poisoned at the same time, but the poachers were disturbed by the security guards before they could get to the other lions. We are devastated that this could happen on our doorstep and that our babies were killed for nothing. The poachers murdered five and only got parts from one. What an absolute waste of life.”
In a post on Facebook, staff wrote:
“Tragedy struck last night at our park. We lost five lions to murderers. That is what they are, they killed our babies. Our hearts are broken. We are down but not out. As you may have seen, we are offering a cash reward for any information that leads to the successful capture and conviction of these murderers.”
SEE ALSO: Rescuers Find The Saddest Eagle Tied To A Pole Because Of Poachers
“Please help us, let’s stand together and find these monsters.”
The staff are currently offering 110,000-rand (Roughly, $7,500) reward for information that could lead to a conviction.
After an overwhelming response to the staff’s story, they posted another update to their Facebook page, saying:
“To all our friends and family, we here at Akwaaba would like to thank everyone for helping spread the news of our terrible loss. We ask that you continue doing so in order to help us catch these people.
We would also like to thank The Team at Special FX and Events for generously adding R10,000.00 to our current R100,000.00 reward being offered to any person who can provide us with information that leads to the successful capture and conviction of these murderers. We’d also like to thank our good Friends DZL for all of their assistance and efforts in helping spread the word of our tragedy. We would also like to thank all of you for all your messages, we appreciate your comments and wishes. Again I ask please do not stop spreading the word of this incident, please help us find these monsters and bring them to justice.”
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