Poachers break in to Paris zoo and slaughter rhino for prized horn
A WHITE rhino has been shot dead at a French zoo by poachers who hacked off its valuable horn with a chainsaw.
Vince, a four-year- old male, was left with three bullet wounds to the head by thieves who broke in to the enclosure.
The poachers may have been disturbed as only one horn was removed – the second, smaller horn was left partially cut.
The horrific discovery was made at 9am yesterday at Thoiry Zoo, an hour’s drive from Paris. However the attack is thought to have taken place late at night.
Rhino horns can fetch up to £180,000 on the black market in Asia, where they are said to have aphrodisiac qualities. It is believed to be the first killing of a rhino for its horn in European zoo.
Park director Thierry Duguet said Vince had been one of their most popular attractions. He described the attack as ‘unbelievable’, adding that police and soldiers examining the scene were deeply moved and angry.
Two other white rhinos in the enclosure, Gracie, a 37-year-old female, and Bruno, five, escaped the assault.
A statement on the zoo’s Facebook page said: ‘Vince was found this morning by the keeper who was very attached to him and is deeply upset. This odious act was carried out even though there were five staff members living on site and security cameras.’
A source speaking to Le Parisien newspaper said ‘the animal had been shot with three bullets to the head, and his horn was cut off with a chainsaw’.
The rhino enclosure is situated at the back of Thoiry’s African animal reserve, a safari park that can be explored only from inside a vehicle. Police believe that one or more killers forced open a door at the back of the zoo, before entering the building where the animals live under cover.
It comes despite a security clampdown in 2011, following a spate of horn thefts from museums and taxidermists.
Owner Paul de la Panouse – a French viscount – said at the time: ‘We have extended the surveillance that we initiated for our small monkeys, which were regularly stolen, to the white rhinos that weigh 2.5 tons.
‘Their enclosures are under surveillance by cameras and staff who make regular rounds.’
Soldiers from the Thoiry gendarmerie were last night leading the criminal investigation, overseen by a magistrate.
Forensic evidence has been found at the scene, but the rhino hide is feared to be too thick to allow investigators to determine the calibre of weapon used.
It is not only thought to be the first time that a horn has been stolen in Europe, but also the first time that an animal has been slaughtered in a French zoo. Vince arrived at Thoiry with Bruno in March 2015, after being born at a park in the Netherlands.
There are around 21,000 white rhinos in the world, many still living in the wild in South Africa and Zimbabwe. However the species is under great threat from poaching.
Demand for the horn has risen in recent years, as in Chinese medicine it is falsely claimed to increase libido, as well as cure a variety of ailments from epilepsy to hangovers. It is also mixed with water and drunk by businessmen to seal deals. Poaching rates in South Africa, home to more than 80 per cent of the world’s rhino population, surged from 83 in 2008 to 1,215 in 2014, according to data from the country’s government.
The white rhino is particularly vulnerable, because it is unaggressive and has very poor eyesight. The ‘horn’ is in fact composed of keratin – similar to hair and fingernails – with small mineral deposits at the centre. However it is often described as ‘ivory’ by illegal traders.
France outlawed the trade in ivory and horns last year.
Heather Sohl, of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, said: ‘This harrowing attack highlights the extremes criminals are prepared to go to in order to obtain rhino horn and other high-demand products. Where the profits remain so high and the consequences so low, criminals will stop at nothing.
‘To truly end the illegal wildlife trade and stem the slaughter of iconic animals – including elephants, rhinos and tigers – we must stop the demand, tackle corruption and improve law enforcement worldwide.’
‘Cut off with a chainsaw’