A zoo in France is mourning the death of its rhinoceros after he was killed by poachers.
Vince the white rhino was found shot to death in his enclosure at a zoo west of Paris. Authorities say poachers broke into the zoo, shot Vince and sawed off one of his horns with a chainsaw.
Investigators think the poachers were interrupted — they left the second horn behind after starting to saw it off, as well. The zoo's two other rhinos were uninjured.
A former zoo official said, "It's not easy to kill a rhino weighing several tons just like that. It's a job for professionals." Other zoos around Europe were warned to take extra precautions.
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African Rhino Poaching Increases For The Sixth Year In A Row
In 2016, the ivory and horn trade was banned in France, but poaching can still be very profitable. A pound of rhino horn is worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market.
White rhino poaching is increasing worldwide. More than a thousand of them are killed annually for their horns, which are sometimes used in traditional Asian medicine.
