Europe

Czechs saw off rhino horns as precaution after France attack

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this picture publicly provided by the zoo Dvur Kralove and taken on Monday, March 20, 2017, in Dvur Kralove, a zoo keeper removes a horn of Pamir, a southern white rhino, as one of the safety measures to reduce the risk of any potential poaching attack. The zoo's decision follows the incident in the French Zoo Thoiry, where one of the white rhinos was killed by poachers for its horn in the beginning of March. (Simona Jirickova/Zoo Dvur Kralove via AP) (The Associated Press)

In this picture publicly provided by the zoo Dvur Kralove and taken on Monday, March 20, 2017, in Dvur Kralove, a zoo keeper removes a horn of Pamir, a southern white rhino, as one of the safety measures to reduce the risk of any potential poaching attack. The zoo's decision follows the incident in the French Zoo Thoiry, where one of the white rhinos was killed by poachers for its horn in the beginning of March. (Simona Jirickova/Zoo Dvur Kralove via AP) (The Associated Press)

A Czech zoo is taking no chances after the killing of a rhinoceros at a wildlife park near Paris by assailants who stole the animal's horn.

To prevent anything like that from happening, the Dvur Kralove Zoo said Tuesday it has started to remove the horns from its rhinos as a precaution.

The attack at the Thoiry Zoo earlier in March was a warning sign for zookeepers around the globe that poaching could be spreading beyond the killing fields of Africa and Asia.

Dvur Kralove director Premysl Rabas says it was a tough decision to saw off the horns but "the risk ... is too high and the safety of the animals is our first concern."

The zoo, which has 21 rhinos, says the procedure is painless.