As humans, we often forget that animals are not completely like us. Just look at your average dog or cat that might attack you or other human beings for random reasons. While house pets can be a handful at times, they tend to be more tolerant than larger wild animals. Zoos and Nature Reserves are often bringing in animals from the wild, which can lead to some of the worst things that ever happened at zoos. Mostly because those wild tendencies are tough to break for many.
Some might grow up their entire lives in captivity. One would assume those captive creatures might not develop as many wild tendencies. Yet this is not always the case. That is why several problems can happen at these establishments. Random attacks on human visitors can make reserves or zoos look bad to the public, yet they might also attack employees. Moreover, they can be horribly taken care of, leading to several problems beyond that. Follow along as we dive into some of the worst things that ever happened at zoos.
A Rhino Was Shot By Poachers At A French Zoo
- Establishment: Thoiry Zoo
- Location: Thoiry, Yvelines, France
Conservation efforts have been in place for rhinos for many years, especially the white rhinoceros. Sadly, we’ve already pretty much lost one species of white rhino entirely. Yet this has not stopped poachers from killing rhinos all throughout Africa. It was assumed if we moved various species of rhino to zoos all over the world, we might be able to keep them from being targeted by the criminal underworld that wants to sell their horns. Sadly, Thoiry Zoo/Safari did not protect one of its rhinos well.
The French zoo had a 4-year-old rhino named Vince who had been doing well at their establishment. However, in March of 2017, poachers broke into the zoo and killed Vince. Zoo officials came across the rhino’s deceased body the very next day with his horn sawed off. They even tried to saw off his second horn but could not do so. While it was always possible, the French authorities had never seen anything like this. It was clearly one of the worst things that ever happened at zoos in France.