Rhinoceros cage doubles as drug plantation at Austrian zoo

A rhinoceros enclosure at Hellbrunn zoo in western Austria turns out to have served a more lucrative purpose: as a cannabis plantation, the zoo revealed on Saturday.

A caretaker at the zoo was able to grow over 30 marijuana plants in the enclosure, unbeknownst to anyone else, the zoo's director said.



The small plantation was in an area of the rhinoceros's cage that was closed to the public and to which the caretaker had exclusive access.

The zoo found out about its employee's side business when narcotics officers turned up in early September, after having been tipped off by one of the planter's clients. The 59-year-old long-standing zoo employee has been sacked and the plants removed, the zoo said.