Poachers shoot rare rhino in zoo for its horn
POACHERS broke into a zoo near Paris yesterday and shot dead a rare white rhinoceros for its horn.
It was the first time such an attack has happened in Europe.
Zookeepers discovered the carcass of Vince, a four-year-old white rhino, in its enclosure at Thoiry zoo. It had been shot three times in the head and its horn cut off with a chainsaw.
“Vince was found by his carer who [is] very attached to animals [and] is deeply affected,” said a zoo spokesman. “This heinous act was carried out despite the presence of five members of the zoological staff living on site and surveillance cameras.”
The white rhino had lived at Thoiry zoo since 2015. Two others, Gracie, 37 years old, and Bruno, five, escaped the attack.
The zoo confirmed that this was the first known case in Europe of a rhino being killed for its ivory in captivity.
Thierry Duquet, the zoo director, said: “Zookeepers are extremely shocked. Vince was the emblematic animal of our park. The criminals broke several security systems. They shot Vince dead and cut off one of his horns, probably with a chainsaw.
“His second horn was only partially cut, which suggests that the criminals were interrupted or that their material was defective.”
There are around 21,000 white rhinos in the world, with those in the wild mainly living in South Africa and Uganda. The species is under threat from poaching and is particularly vulnerable, because it is generally not aggressive and has poor eyesight.
Rhino horns are highly prized in traditional Asian medicine for their alleged qualities as an aphrodisiac. They are ground into a powder or tablets to treat various conditions, including loss of libido. A rhinoceros horn has been known to fetch up to £180,000 on the black market, although a police source said Vince’s stolen ivory would probably fetch around £20,000.