By JUN NAKAMURA/ Staff Writer
June 3, 2022 at 17:08 JST
SHIZUOKA--A white rhinoceros horn, which commands high prices on the black market, was stolen from Nihondaira Zoo, according to local authorities.
“The horn is a highly valuable material that can help us study the habits of the rare species,” said a zoo official. “We hope it will be returned to us safe and sound.”
The Shizuoka city government announced on June 1 that it reported the theft of the horn, put on display at the zoo in the city’s Suruga Ward, to Shizuoka prefectural police.
A zoo official who reported to work at around 7 a.m. on May 31 discovered that the horn was missing and saw the glass enclosure once housing it had been shattered at the zoo’s exhibition space, according to the city.
The horn, belonging to a white rhino from Africa, weighs 5 kilograms and measures 40 to 50 centimeters in length, said city officials.
The Washington Convention prohibits the international trade of rhino horns, but they are highly valued on the black market because of their popularity among rich people in Asia, who see them as a symbol of wealth and believe they hold medicinal benefits.
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A rhino horn that was stolen from Nihondaira Zoo in Shizuoka’s Suruga Ward (Provided by Nihondaira Zoo)
