A pride of lions who ruled one of the world’s largest urban game reserves have been butchered by poachers in South Africa for body parts to use in black magic potions.
Two male lions named Jarvis and Tau and two lionesses named Bashi and Tawani died in agony on Thursday last week after eating poisoned meat at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, located on the edge of the capital Pretoria.
The four – known as the Pride of Rietvlei – then had their jaws and paws hacked off with machetes to be sold on to witch doctors.
A pride of four lions – two males named Jarvis and Tau and two females named Bashi and Tawani – have been poisoned to death on a protected game reserve in South Africa
Keepers say the lions were fed poisoned meat and died an ‘agonising death’ over the course of 15 minutes before their paws and jaws were hacked off so they could be sold to witch doctors
The lions had been rescued from a canned hunting ranch before being brought to the Rietvlei Nature Reserve near Pretoria, where they were living in a heavily protected area
Head Ranger Bradden Stevens, 33, was distraught when he was called to examine the blood-soaked carcasses of the big cats that he had dedicated nearly a decade of his life to protecting.
It is not the first time the pride has been targeted by poachers – two other females named River and Serabi were fatally poisoned in 2017, although the poachers were disturbed before they could mutilate the bodies.
Following the attack, the remainder of the group were moved to a safer 250 hectare area at the centre of the game reserve.
However, that failed to stop armed poachers taking out the whole pride last week.
It is thought the group had detailed knowledge of the reserve to be able to target the animals where they were living.
The four lions – which had been rescued from a canned lion reserve and a private owner who kept them illegally – were thrown meat that had been laced with poison.
Within 15 minutes they had died an agonising death before the poachers moved in with machetes and took 16 paws and 4 jaws to be used for magic potions.
Pictured is alpha male lion Jarvis (right) and lioness Tawani who were both killed by poachers
Male lion Tau was also among those killed in the attack by an armed gang last Thursday
Lioness Bashi was also among the four killed. The pride has been targeted once before, with two lionesses named River and Serabi fatally poisoned in 2017
Distraught game ranger Bradden said his world has been ‘turned upside down’ by the ‘muti killing’ – muti being a South African term for traditional tribal medicine.
He added: ‘I have worked with this pride of lions for 10 years in a world where they were not exploited for human greed or vanity but in a world that was part of responsible and ethical tourism.
‘These last few days have been the darkest I have ever experienced and finding my lions who were my life in the way that I found them will live and haunt me for the rest of my life.
‘I am convinced these lion parts do not go far but find their way into local muti markets with muti being body parts that are used to make traditional medicines or magic potions.
‘These markets need to be shut down and those who come into game reserves where these magnificent animals are safe and butcher them in such a way need to severely punished.
‘My heart is breaking for my four boys and girls and I am in a very dark place right now’ he said.
The Council’s Environment and Agriculture chief Mr Dana Wannenburg said that it appeared to be an ‘inside job’ with those who broke in knowing the layout and how to gain entry.
He said: ‘We have heightened security with police patrolling the main roads in and around the reserve to boost existing security to maintain the safety of the animals such as rhinos’.
The Rietvlei Nature Reserve was also home to four of the famed African ‘Big Five’ having healthy populations of rhino, leopard and buffalo and up until this week a pride of lions.
The South African Police Service said an autopsy confirmed the lions were poisoned before they were butchered with a spokesman saying: ‘This horrific crime will not go unpunished’.
Head ranger Mr Stevens added: ‘The Pride of Rietvlei was made up of rescue lions and who could not have been released into the wild as they would be unable to feed properly and survive.
‘We allowed no direct interaction between tourists and our lions and our job was to teach the tourists and children about the harm the ‘lion petting’ and ‘walking with lions’ industry does.
Jarvis and Tawani are pictured in the back of a flatbed truck before they were killed. Police believe the crime was an inside job because poachers had detailed knowledge of the reserve
Jarvis (left) and Tau (right) before they were poisoned. The Rietvlei pride were rescued from a canned hunting farm and as such could not be released back into the wild, because they lack the proper hunting instincts
‘It is so tragic that our magnificent pride met such a savage and cruel end at the hands of men looking for money’ he said.
Rietvlei Nature Reserve is set in 3800 hectares right on the edge of Pretoria and is home to 2000 game including hippo, zebra, springbok, cheetah and has incredible bird viewing.
In April last year Gert Claasen, 48, had 3 lions butchered for body parts and 3 more killed and stolen to be butchered later from his reserve in Petrus Steyn in Free State Province.
In May last year at the Jugomara Predator Park in Limpopo Province distraught owner Justin Fernandes, 32, had three lions and a rare white tiger hacked to bits for their body parts.
And in July last year Christa Sayman, 55, lost six lions to poachers who hacked off the heads and paw of four fully grown lions for black magic potions and killed two other lion cubss.
A complete lion skeleton can be bought in South Africa for £1000 but in Vietnam it is worth £50,000 and the individual claws and teeth of a lion are highly prized and fetch top prices.
A traditional healer from Limpopo who would not give her name said: ‘The lion body parts are used to make strong muti which is a witchcraft potion made by healers to cast spells.
‘These can be used to protect a person from illness or cure them or make them strong or virile or even used to scare enemies away or prevent them from being attacked’ she said.
Dr Kelly Marnewick of the Endangered Wildlife Trust keeps a close track on lions mutilated and poached or killed on private breeding farms and sanctuaries throughout South Africa.
She said:’It is mostly the claws, heads and teeth of the lions the poachers are after and in 2017 there were 22 captive lions killed and this is something that we are watching closely’.
It is feared lion bones are now becoming sought after to replace the far rarer tiger bones in demand in South East Asia which are being smuggled out for use in traditional medicines.