This isn’t just inhumane; it’s inhuman.
In the first known European case of poaching from a zoo, a rhinoceros named Vince was brutally murdered in his enclosure at Parc Zoologique de Thoiry‘s African Animal Park Reserve, near Paris.
Related: Beloved Hippo Gustavito Beaten To Death In El Salvador Zoo!
Poachers apparently broke into the zoo and shot the white rhino three times in the head before cutting off one of its horns with a chainsaw. The other horn was only partially cut, leading investigators to believe the criminals may have been interrupted.
In a Facebook statement, Thoiry gave details on the tragedy:
“Vince was found this morning by his carer who, very attached to animals, is deeply affected… This heinous act was carried out despite the presence of five members of the zoological staff living on site and surveillance cameras… The other two white rhino living in Thoiry, Gracie 37 years old and Bruno 5 years of age, have escaped the massacre and are safe and sound.”
Vince had been a resident at Thoiry since 2015.
White rhino horn is prized for its uses in some Asian medicine (mostly sex related) and thus can sell for up to $220K on the black market.
BTW, if you ever come across someone who still believes in the power of rhino horns, you can tell them that chemically, it’s nearly indistinguishable from your fingernail clippings. And also, magic isn’t real. Stupid jerks.
R.I.P. Vince.
[Image via Thoiry.]
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