Rangers say poachers are starving young men who kill animals for meat, not traditional medicine, and dry the meat inside the park. More than 120 vultures were poisoned after eating meat from a dead elephant laced with toxic chemicals used by poachers. Hungry and desperate, people living near Kruger National Park are turning to poaching to survive. About 80% of the population in the area depend on illegal hunters who sneak into the park to kill wild animals for food. The meat is either eaten or sold to local butchers who pass it on to poor community members at low prices. Kruger field rangers say these poachers are young, armed and willing to risk their lives. They kill anything they can find, dry the meat at makeshift camps inside the park and carry it out once it is light enough. Masindi Raselabe, senior section ranger at Mooiplaas, said the poachers do not collect animal parts like skins or claws. "We realised through community engagements that it's for the meat," he said. He added that many of the poachers don't know the park well. "They just set up camps and start hunting. The meat is hung on ropes to dry. Once they get it out, it ends up at butcheries where it's sold without anyone knowing if it's safe to eat." This illegal activity is not only dangerous to animals, but also to rangers who patrol the park on foot.