This is Bristol --
A ZOO farm in Wraxall is stepping up its security patrols following reports a gang of poachers is planning to attack wildlife parks across the UK to shoot rhinos and make off with their prized horns.
Police forces in the UK have received information that a gang is planning to target the rare species in overnight raids and make off with their horns – which can fetch more than £100,000.
The horns are sought after by alternative medicine practitioners in the Far East for their apparent healing powers. The biggest market is thought to be Vietnam where they are worth £37,000 a kilo – more than cocaine or gold.
The average horn weighs 3kg.
Poachers are turning increasingly to Europe to get the horns after hunting rhinos to the brink of extinction in the wild.
It is understood police have already visited wildlife parks in Kent to put owners on alert following information received through Crimestoppers that the rhinos could be targeted. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall has two white rhinos – a male and female called Rumble and Rhumba.
The two white rhinos, which are classed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, have been at the farm since 2005 and live in a specially built enclosure.
The pair, which came to the farm from South Africa, has now reached sexual maturity and it is hoped they will breed in the coming year.
The zoo farm, which spans 110 acres, already has 24-hour security on site and has a network of CCTV cameras which feed into a central control room. But it now plans to increase its security measures following the news of the rhino threat.
Noah's Ark spokesman, Jon Woodward, said: "We will be reviewing our procedures."
There are believed to be around 85 rhinos in 15 zoos and parks across the UK. There are fewer than 29,000 rhinos across Africa and Asia, compared to around 500,000 in 1990.
Powdered rhino horn is used in Chinese medicine as an aphrodisiac. It is also claimed to treat cancer. Reported by This is 3 hours ago.
A ZOO farm in Wraxall is stepping up its security patrols following reports a gang of poachers is planning to attack wildlife parks across the UK to shoot rhinos and make off with their prized horns.
Police forces in the UK have received information that a gang is planning to target the rare species in overnight raids and make off with their horns – which can fetch more than £100,000.
The horns are sought after by alternative medicine practitioners in the Far East for their apparent healing powers. The biggest market is thought to be Vietnam where they are worth £37,000 a kilo – more than cocaine or gold.
The average horn weighs 3kg.
Poachers are turning increasingly to Europe to get the horns after hunting rhinos to the brink of extinction in the wild.
It is understood police have already visited wildlife parks in Kent to put owners on alert following information received through Crimestoppers that the rhinos could be targeted. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall has two white rhinos – a male and female called Rumble and Rhumba.
The two white rhinos, which are classed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, have been at the farm since 2005 and live in a specially built enclosure.
The pair, which came to the farm from South Africa, has now reached sexual maturity and it is hoped they will breed in the coming year.
The zoo farm, which spans 110 acres, already has 24-hour security on site and has a network of CCTV cameras which feed into a central control room. But it now plans to increase its security measures following the news of the rhino threat.
Noah's Ark spokesman, Jon Woodward, said: "We will be reviewing our procedures."
There are believed to be around 85 rhinos in 15 zoos and parks across the UK. There are fewer than 29,000 rhinos across Africa and Asia, compared to around 500,000 in 1990.
Powdered rhino horn is used in Chinese medicine as an aphrodisiac. It is also claimed to treat cancer. Reported by This is 3 hours ago.
