Park rangers launched a search of the Kruger National Park in South Africa after men claiming to be his accomplices told his family that he had been killed.

The search party was only able to recover a skull and a pair of trousers, BBC News reports.

Glenn Philips, the park’s managing executive, said: “Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise. It holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that.”

Kruger National Park is a common target for poachers; a total of 421 poaching incidents were recorded in the park last year.