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The handler was unconcerned because it is not unusual for the lions to make noise, Fox added. But the reserve's anti-poaching unit later noticed human remains near the lions Tuesday.

\"PHOTO:
Sibuya Game Reserve/Facebook
PHOTO: Sibuya Game Reserve is seen here in this undated file photo.
>

“I was immediately called to the scene where, along with the Anti-Poaching Unit, we found the high-powered rifle, gloves, wire cutters and the remains of a backpack with food, water and other supplies,” Fox said Thursday. “All the hallmarks of a gang intent on killing rhino and removing their horns.”

Authorities are now investigating the incident, which is believed to have involved two or three alleged poachers who walked into a group of six lions, Fox said.

Rhinoceros poaching is up by more than 8,000 percent across South Africa since 2007, a 2017 ABC News report found. Poachers can sell the horns for as much as $300,000 each on the illegal wildlife markets in Asia, where people believe they have medicinal value.

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