Black Rhino (courtesy usnews.com)

Dallas, TX -(Ammoland.com)- A Texas hunter has received from the U.S. government a permit to bring home the taxidermy from a planned hunt for a black rhino in Namibia.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – which administers the Endangered Species Act and regulates Americans’ associated activities – approved the import permit based on the scientific and financial validity of the rhino hunt. Read the agency’s announcement. Dallas Safari Club, the conservation organization that auctioned the hunt in early 2014, says . . .

the federal approval is vindication for biologists in Africa who prescribed the hunt as way to grow rhino populations. Aged, non-breeding male rhinos are known to charge and kill younger bulls, cows and even calves. This behavior, well documented in scientific literature, jeopardizes the future of a herd. Removing these animals enhances herd productivity.

DSC auctioned the permit for $350,000 – reportedly the highest price ever paid for a big-game hunting permit in Africa – with 100 percent of proceeds going to Namibia for rhino conservation, habitat and anti-poaching initiatives.

“Animal rights extremists bashed the scientists, threatened the buyer and harassed DSC. Now that the world’s leading conservation agency has approved the hunt as a way to help rhino populations, and issued an import permit, I hope some of the naysayers will make an effort to actually understand what they were protesting,”said Ben Carter, DSC executive director.

To help, DSC has posted some myths and facts about “trophy hunting.”

Namibia is authorized to sell up to five rhino hunting licenses a year. With hunting as part of its management plan, and with associated funds to fuel conservation and law enforcement programs, Namibia’s black rhino population has grown from 60 animals in 1966 to about 1,500 today.

Carter commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its professionalism throughout the permitting process and public comment period.

The rhino hunt may be scheduled for later this year or even 2016.

About Dallas Safari Club (DSC)

Desert bighorns on an unbroken landscape, stalking Cape buffalo in heavy brush, students discovering conservation. DSC works to guarantee a future for all these and much more. An independent nonprofit organization since 1982, DSC has become an international leader in conserving wildlife and wilderness lands, educating youth and the general public, and promoting and protecting the rights and interests of hunters worldwide.

Get involved at www.BigGame.org.

Read more: http://www.ammoland.com/2015/03/u-s-fish-wildlife-service-approves-rhino-permit/#ixzz3VjBaMULP
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28 COMMENTS

  2. Oh hell no. I am all for hunting. But a black rhino? There is no financial reason for that. What’s next, Bald Eagles?

    • “Namibia’s black rhino population has grown from 60 animals in 1966 to about 1,500 today.”

      Thanks to anti-poaching efforts, paid for by hunters.

    • It might help if you would read the entire article. You missed this: “Aged, non-breeding male rhinos are known to charge and kill younger bulls, cows and even calves. This behavior, well documented in scientific literature, jeopardizes the future of a herd. Removing these animals enhances herd productivity.”
      You’re welcome.

      • Well, I can understand the old Rhino’s POV.

        The old coot isn’t getting any, and is taking it out on the young whipper-snappers…

        Sounds like animal kingdom Progressivism on the African Veldt.

    • “…the federal approval is vindication for biologists in Africa who prescribed the hunt as way to grow rhino populations. Aged, non-breeding male rhinos are known to charge and kill younger bulls, cows and even calves. This behavior, well documented in scientific literature, jeopardizes the future of a herd. Removing these animals enhances herd productivity.”

      Finances has nothing to do with it. It’s more of a ‘survival of the species’ reason.

    • There are great numbers of Bald Eagles. I could see opening a short season on them if they where edible.

      • Obama has already given the Wind Power folks the ok to kill Bald Eagles. Since killing Bald Eagles is a crime, Obama waved the penalty for any Bald Eagles that might be killed by these eyesores called windmills. Not only Bald eagles but other eagles and waterfoul are also killed by Obama’s Windmill friends. Anything is ok for the green energy crackpots.

    • Read the article. The older rhinos are non fertile so they do not increase the population. They just consume resources and attack and kill fertile makes and females. So killing them is good for the population. Plus 350.000.00 pays a LOT of African park rangers to protect the animals from poachers and protect the habitat.

  3. And if this had been a White Rhino instead of a Black one, the story would have never made the news.

    If obama had a rhino…

  4. I’m shocked the USFWS actually listened to the biologists and scientists on this.
    Good to know “common sense” can prevail at times.

    • Same here. It’s pretty obvious that legal hunting and the associated fees are one of the best ways to defend against illegal hunting. Well, to some people, anyways.

  5. Rhino Conservation? Strange way to claim your conserving Rhinos. Sounds more like your doing a favor for one of your rich friends. So now this big game hunter goes to Africa, and is lead by a guide to where this Rhino happens to be feeding and this big game hunter points his big game gun and kills an animal thats on the verge of extinction. Im not against hunting, I’ve shot turkey here in Pa. but then Turkey are not on the verge of extinction. Plus the Turkey I did shoot took six days of my vacation sitting up on a ridge trying to call a bird in. Thats my kind of hunting.

    • Didn’t even bother to read the article I see.

      I don’t personally favor sport hunting of any type. But in this case it looks like we’re dealing with a solid plan for effective management of the species in a way that keeps their numbers up.

    • “100 percent of proceeds going to Namibia for rhino conservation, habitat and anti-poaching initiatives”

      Did you even read the article? That’s 350k and every red cent of it going towards protecting the young, healthy rhinos that are not only targeted more often by poachers, but also killed by the old rhinos that don’t breed and therefore impede growth of the species. The rhino to be hunted is one of these ancient, hostile ones.

  8. “To help, DSC has posted some myths and facts about “trophy hunting.”

    Yeah, and it says that “Trophy hunting is not about food. It’s simply killing animals for the thrill of it.” is a myth but then goes on to describe how trophy hunters ignore lots of animals (i.e. meat) to go after a particular one for the “unequivocal sense of accomplishment, luck and reward”

    Yeah, in other words it’s not about food, it’s about thrill. They do this with a number of “myths” to the point where I’m not sure that word means what they think it means…

    • Typicly trophy hunters donate the meat from trophy hunts to the local village. Keep in mind that food, esp meat is expensive in scarce to many of the people in the developing world. Nothing gets wasted.

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