A zoo has taken the step of removing the horns from its rhinos as a precaution following an attack by poachers at another zoo.

The director of Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic said it was a difficult decision to make, but "the risk ... is too high and the safety of the animals is our first concern".

The zoo, which has 21 rhinos, said the procedure is painless and has been performed before for safety reasons.

"There is no live tissue (in the horn)," said Jan Stejskal, director of communications and international projects at the zoo.

"It's just compact matter, similar to nails or to hair.


"If you cut it, it's like cutting your hair or your nails. So it has no impact on the life of the animal."

Image: One of the rhinos after having its horn cut off

It comes after an attack at the Thoiry Zoo in Paris earlier this month in which a rhinoceros was killed by assailants who stole the animal's horn.

The attack is a warning sign for zookeepers that poaching could be spreading beyond the killing fields of Africa and Asia.

Rhino horns are considered a cure in Asia for everything from cancer, colds and fevers to high blood pressure, hangovers, impotence and other ailments.