Permit to hunt endangered African black rhino sells for $350,000

certainly not wild rhino? Has to be one of those "safari" parks here with "hunts" for entitled douchebags with too much time and money to waste. You know the type, a "real Man"

edit, I was wrong about place but think I'm on the money about who. Most backawards assed shit I've heard since trickle down economics.

By Nomaan Merchant And Michael Graczyk, The Associated Press

DALLAS — A permit to hunt an endangered African black rhino sold Saturday night for $350,000 at a Dallas auction held to raise money for conservation efforts but criticized by wildlife advocates.

Steve Wagner, a spokesman for the Dallas Safari Club, which sponsored the closed-door event, confirmed the sale of the permit for a hunt in the African nation of Namibia. He declined to name the buyer.

Ben Carter, executive director of the Safari Club, has defended the auction. He said all money raised will go toward protecting the species. He also said the rhino that the winner will be allowed to hunt is old, male and nonbreeding — and that the animal was likely to be targeted for removal anyway because it was becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife.

But the auction drew howls from critics, including wildlife and animal rights groups, and the FBI earlier this week said it was investigating death threats against members of the club.

Officials from the Humane Society and the International Fund for Animal Welfare have said that while culling can be appropriate in abundant animal populations, all black rhinos should be protected, given their endangered status.

An estimated 4,000 black rhinos remain in the wild, down from 70,000 in the 1960s. Nearly 1,800 are in Namibia, according to the safari club.

Critics have also said any hunting of a rhino sends a bad message to the public.

“This auction is telling the world that an American will pay anything to kill their species,” Jeffrey Flocken, North American regional director of the Massachusetts-based IFAW, said earlier this week. “This is, in fact, making a spectacle of killing an endangered species.”
Dallas Safari Club executive director Ben Carter poses for a photo by the club clothing wear booth in the Dallas Exhibit Hall as preparations continue for the clubs weekend show, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, in Dallas. The FBI is investigating death threats made against members of the Dallas Safari Club, which intends to auction off a rare permit to hunt an endangered black rhino, an FBI spokeswoman said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Safari Club executive director Ben Carter poses for a photo by the club clothing wear booth in the Dallas Exhibit Hall as preparations continue for the clubs weekend show, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, in Dallas. The FBI is investigating death threats made against members of the Dallas Safari Club, which intends to auction off a rare permit to hunt an endangered black rhino, an FBI spokeswoman said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The auction took place Saturday night in downtown Dallas under tight security and behind closed doors. Organizers hoped to at least break the previous high bid for one of the permits in Namibia, which is $223,000, and had said the amount could be as high as $1 million. The nation offers five permits each year, and the one auctioned Saturday was the first to be made available for purchase outside of Namibia.

The winning bidder could have come from anywhere in the world, and at least some bidders were expected to enter by phone.

About 40 protesters gathered early Saturday evening outside the convention centre where the auction and a pre-auction dinner were to take place. They held signs and chanted. Most dispersed by just after 6 p.m. CST.

Jim and Lauren Ries travelled with their children from Atlanta to protest the auction of the rare black rhino hunting permit in Dallas. Jim Ries said it was his son Carter, 12, and daughter Olivia, 11, who pushed for them to go and participate.

“We heard what the Dallas Safari Club was doing and we thought it was just wrong that they were auctioning off to kill a black rhino and we really got upset that they were thinking this,” Carter Ries said.

Jim Ries said his children are passionate about animal conservation and were working to help adopt cheetahs in Africa. The family started a non-profit called One More Generation, dedicated to saving endangered species.

“There’s less than 5,000 black rhinos left on the planet,” the father said, “and if our kids ever want to see a rhino left in the wild, we can’t be pulling the trigger on every one we say is too old to breed.”

Poachers long have targeted all species of rhino, primarily for its horn, which is valuable on the international black market. Made of the protein keratin, the chief component in fingernails and hooves, the horn has been used in carvings and for medicinal purposes, mostly in Asia. The near-extinction of the species also has been attributed to habitat loss.

Associated Press video journalist John Mone contributed to this report. Graczyk reported from Houston.

I wish I had the money to bid on the Rhino,

Of course I'd be bidding to save the beast, not shoot it. Too bad some wealthy person with a heart didn't do that.

"Ben Carter, executive director of the Safari Club, has defended the auction. He said all money raised will go toward protecting the species. He also said the rhino that the winner will be allowed to hunt is old, male and nonbreeding — and that the animal was likely to be targeted for removal anyway because it was becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife."
...
Carter later added, 'We are also auctioning off permits for the winners to hunt old, males (and females), non-breeding from the American citizens population as selected by the ObamaCare 'Death Panels'... because, really... what's the difference?'
Carter was unable to return our calls after being shot by a permit winner.

If the rhino is past breading age, and they can raise 350,000 to help with the conservation of the species, I don't see what the big issue is. Some people like to hunt, it's their thing. And it's for a great cause.

mattsl1983 said:

If the rhino is past breading age, and they can raise 350,000 to help with the conservation of the species, I don't see what the big issue is. Some people like to hunt, it's their thing. And it's for a great cause.

Are you serious?

Some people like to kill rhinos so let's let them kill rhinos. It's for a good cause?

Who cares if the animal is past it's 'usefulness'? The point is to leave the animals alone and stop killing them for a few parts. Why would we cater to someone who has an urge to kill an animal so they can decorate their house with some of its parts just because they have the money to do so?

A good human being with such disposable income would contribute $350,000 to conservation efforts and saving the animals... not to take one down under the doing it for a good cause rationale.

Yup.

Sick.

Period.

mattsl1983 said:

show previous quotes

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

mattsl1983 said:

If the rhino is past breading age, and they can raise 350,000 to help with the conservation of the species, I don't see what the big issue is. Some people like to hunt, it's their thing. And it's for a great cause.

Are you serious?

Some people like to kill rhinos so let's let them kill rhinos. It's for a good cause?

Who cares if the animal is past it's 'usefulness'? The point is to leave the animals alone and stop killing them for a few parts. Why would we cater to someone who has an urge to kill an animal so they can decorate their house with some of its parts just because they have the money to do so?

A good human being with such disposable income would contribute $350,000 to conservation efforts and saving the animals... not to take one down under the doing it for a good cause rationale.

I am 100 percent serious.

The hunter can do with whatever he wants with the parts. He's not out there poaching them. He put in the highest bid. He has 350,000 going towards their cause more than they had. It is also mentioned that the rhino has been under the consideration of being removed anyways due to it acting more and more aggressive. It's a win win. Hunter gets to hunt a rhino, the rhinos get 350,000 towards their conservation. Instead of getting upset or mad at this, look at the real issue and why this happened. These hunters that bid on this aren't the issue. Poaching is the issue. And there is a huge difference between big game hunters, and poachers.

I don't know how you can say a good human being with that much disposable income would just donate it. Do you know the person that placed the highest bid? Is he really that bad of a guy? What did he do to not be a "good" human being?

Just because you personally don't agree with something doesn't make it bad, or evil, or wrong.

I don't personally know this person. I never knew Ariel Castro either. I can only judge them by their actions.

He travelled to another country to kill an animal for its horn. It's bad, evil, and wrong.