Two wild animal parks in Kent have beefed up security following the butchering of a rhino in France by cruel poachers.

Bosses at Howletts and Port Lympne - home to 17 rhino in total - are taking extra precautions after the animal was shot dead at a Paris zoo and had his horns hacked off.

Following the incident, concerned zoo chiefs in the Czech Republic used a chainsaw to remove the horns from its rhino to save them from poachers - a move the Aspinall Foundation has described as a “drastic last resort”.

Its animal director, Adrian Harland, said: “Security has been increased since the Paris incident but we did have more security anyway.

“Dehorning rhino is an option but for us it would be a very drastic last resort – it is not something we are planning to do.

“We are always looking to reintroduce them to Africa and a horn is used to defend a rhino in the wild.”

Last year, bosses at Port Lympne in Hythe, the sister park to Howletts near Canterbury, confirmed it had bolstered its security following reports of suspicious behaviour.

It came after two men were seen acting strangely near its animal enclosures in the early hours.

Police officers visited the park - which has 13 rhino - and carried out a search, but no one was found.

Mr Harland said: “We have been advised over the past year by police regarding potential security risks and we will continue to work with them in the future.”

In 2015, Howletts celebrated the birth of its first rhino calf in its 40-year history.