British zoos have been warned that their rhinos might be attacked by poachers because of the soaring value of their horns in the Asian medicine market. After a rumour that it could cure cancer, the horn is now worth more than $40 000 (R310 000) a kilogram, and gangs have been breaking into museums and auction rooms in Britain and Europe to steal trophy rhino heads. The fear is that zoos – and live rhinos – might be next. In an unprecedented alert, all 15 British zoos and wildlife and safari parks that hold rhinos – they have 85 animals between them – have been warned by the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tighten security and report anything suspicious to the police at once. “We have warned British zoos to be on their guard against the possibility of being targeted by criminals seeking rhino horn,” said the head of the unit, Detective Inspector Brian Stuart. Concern is growing that criminals will try to break into a British zoo at night, kill or tranquillise rhinos and cut off the horns. The potential profits might be very tempting, as a single big horn could weigh more than 5kg and be worth more than $200 000. In the past four years, rhino poaching has exploded in Africa – SA especially – going from a total of 13 animals killed for their horn in Sa in 2007 to 448 in 2011, the highest number ever recorded. The head of Biaza (the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums), Miranda Stevenson, said she was “horrified” at the threat, but while security made it difficult to get into zoos, “it isn’t impossible. Rhinos are big animals and in good weather most zoos will leave them out at night.” A source from a big zoo in southern England said: “We are aware of the warning, but our security is pretty tight. We have keepers living on site and they make night patrols.” Detectives first became aware of the threat to zoos after a man was caught trying to smuggle a rhino horn out of Britain to Asia.
0 comments:
Post a Comment