A group of five men hunting without licenses was attacked by a lion at a private game farm in Limpopo near Kruger National Park, South Africa Thursday, authorities said.
Matome Mahlale, 24, was killed in the attack along with two dogs, who accompanied the group on the illegal hunt.
"Three men managed to climb into a tree and another managed to escape, but the deceased and two dogs were mauled to death," said Limpopo police spokesman Colonel Ronel Otto, according to The Daily Express.
The incident took place three months after American dentist Walter Palmer killed Cecil the lion in an illegal hunt at the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Cecil's killing sparked outrage at an international level and thrust illegal hunting into the spotlight, as HNGN previously reported.
"There won't be many people feeling sorry for him. This is seen as poetic justice for the death of Cecil," said a local.
"We have a big problem with people doing illegal hunting," Otto said, according to The Washington Post. "It's difficult from the police's side because the problem is vast. We do work together with the rural communities - if we learn that there's a problem, we get there as soon as we can." However, as for the prevalence of illegal hunting, Otto said, "We can't prevent it."
