Poachers trespass on Paris zoo, kill rhino for its horn

White rhinos are heavily hunted by poachers for their horns.  AP FILE PHOTO

A white rhinoceros in captivity inside a zoo in Paris was shot dead by poachers, who forced their way inside the facility to cut off its horn.

The 4-year-old Vince, as per The Independent, was found motionless by Thoiry Zoo keepers on last week, with three bullet holes on its head.

One or more poachers are believed to have broken into the enclosure and cut off the rhino’s horn using a chainsaw.

According to the zoo’s Facebook page, Vince’s second horn was also partially cut, “which suggests that the criminals were disturbed or that their equipment proved defective.”

Aside from Vince, two other rhinos were kept in the same enclosure, 5-year-old Bruno and 37-year-old Gracie. Fortunately, both animals were spared from harm and said to be safe and healthy.

Officials were probing the incident, which occurred despite the presence of security cameras and five members of the zoo staff living on the site. The suspects were reportedly still at large, the report said.

Vince was born in September 2012 at Burgers’ Zoo in the Netherlands and was moved to the Thoiry Zoo in 2015.

Rhinos have been heavily hunted in the wild due to their horns, which are reportedly sold in the black market for around £30,000 (over P1.8 million).

The horns are also heavily sought in China, where they are believed to possess aphrodisiac qualities.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra