Prague zoo cuts off rhinos' horns to stop poachers

'A de-horned rhino is definitely a better option than a dead rhino' says zoo keeper

A Czech zoo has removed the horns of its 21 rhinoceros' as a precautionary measure after one of the creatures was killed by poachers at a French wildlife park.

After sedating the animals, zoo staff used a chainsaw to cut them off.

Přemysl Rabas, the director of the Dvur Kralove zoo, around 70 miles north-east of the country's capital, Prague, said it was a tough decision, but their priority was the safety of the four southern white rhinos and 17 black ones - the largest group of its kind in Europe.

“The risk that the rhinos currently face, not only in the wild but even in zoos, is too high," he said. “The safety of the animals is our first concern. A de-horned rhino is definitely a better option than a dead rhino.”

His colleague Jan Stejskal, added that the rhinos did not suffer during the removal process.

“There is no live tissue," he said. “It’s just compact matter, similar to nails or to hair. If you cut it, it’s like cutting your hair or your nails. So it has no impact on the life of the animal."

The severed horns will gradually grow back again, he said, adding that horns are often removed for safety reasons, especially when animals are being transported.

The zoo said they had taken the decision after poachers killed the five-year-old white rhino, Vince, after they broke into the Thoiry zoo near Paris to steal his horn.

It had been assumed in the past that the animals were generally safe in captivity.

But rhino horns are an incredibly valuable commodity in parts of Asia, where they considered a cure for a range of diseases including cancer, colds and fevers to high blood pressure, hangovers, and impotence.

After the incident in France, it is now feared other zoos will be targeted by poachers who have killed an estimated 6,000 of the creatures, leaving a global wild population of about 30,000 of all five species remaining, according to the Save the Rhino charity.

At the Dvur Kralove zoo, Pamir, a 10-year-old male rhino, was the first to have his horn cut off earlier this week.

“Pamir was anaesthetised. The intervention took less than one hour and it was performed without any complications,” said Jiri Hruby, a rhino curator.

The horns will be initially stored in a “safe place” outside the park.

Additional reporting by Associated Press