Johannesburg - South African police have arrested a man after discovering the carcasses of lions and rhinoceroses strewn around a house in the capital, Pretoria, local media reported Wednesday.

Police were tipped off by the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals after an inspector stumbled across the bones at the residence in the upmarket Waterkloof suburb, the South African Press Association reported.

Many diplomatic residences and an air force base are located in Waterkloof.

Photos taken at the scene showed carcasses and skulls strewn around the ground.

The report quoted a police spokesman as saying the man was suspected of illegally slaughtering animals at his home. The suspect was allegedly an Asian.

Rhinoceros poaching has spiralled in southern Africa in recent years, fuelled by the booming trade in rhinoceros horn in Asian markets, where it used in traditional medicine. (dpa)