Rhinos given fake horns

A Swiss museum has taken the drastic step of replacing the horns of its rhinos with fakes to deter thieves fuelling a lucrative global trade.

Staff at Bern's Natural History Museum cut off the horns of the six display animals and put crude wooden ones in their place. Curators acted after hearing of horn thefts at museums across Europe, including in Britain, France and Germany.

In recent months prices have soared, and rhino horn is fetching between 30,000 and 250,000 Swiss francs ($41,000 to $350,000), according to the museum.