Rhino horn stolen from museums

Thieves recently stole two horns from a mounted white rhinoceros at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town. The theft is the latest in a series targeting rhino horn at museums. The thieves smashed a reinforced glass cabinet and ripped the horns off one specimen, but could not remove those from another, even though the museum had 24-hour security. The two rhinos on display were historical specimens, dating back to the late 19th century. In 2002 a thief stole an 80cm horn off a specimen of white rhino in the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria. Two years ago thieves broke into the Reinet House Museum in Graaff-Reinet and made off with the horn of a rhino shot in the area 120 years ago. A group of armed men had also stolen horn from the King William's Town Museum.