'I am deeply saddened, disappointed and incredulous that he sees this mission as contributing to the survival of endangered black rhinos,' said the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Jeff Flocken. 'Approximately 50 percent of males and 30 percent of females die from combat-related injuries.'īut, the news site adds, 'Many in Namibia opposed the auction.' Protests against the hunt came from international groups demonstrators also picketed the auction held by the Dallas Safari Club. Removing specific individuals from a population can result in reduced male fighting, shorter calving intervals, and reduced juvenile mortality.'īlack rhinos have 'the highest combat mortality rates of any mammal,' Namibia's Oshili 24 reports. 'The removal of limited numbers of males has been shown to stimulate population growth in some areas. The agency, which gave its approval in March, writes: Fish and Wildlife Service to bring the carcass back to America. Namibia is facing a surge in poaching - last week, the country's New Era newspaper said that 60 rhinos have been poached so far in 2015, leading Namibia's environmental ministry to double its reward for information about the killings.Īfter winning the auction, Knowlton then had to get special permission from the U.S. The proceeds are meant to go toward anti-poaching and conservation efforts. Each year it targets several older rhinos that are no longer able to breed but still pose a deadly threat to younger males. The permit came from Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

'Namibian authorities issue five kill permits per year.' 'There are only an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 black rhinos living in the wild,' Mark Memmott wrote for the Two-Way last year. The hunt has drawn controversy and spurred debate over the best way to manage endangered wildlife.Ĭorey Knowlton won an auction last January for a hunting permit that would allow him to kill a black rhino weighing around 3,000 pounds. While the rhinoceros is referred to as black, its colors vary from shades of brown to gray.Ī Texas hunter who paid $350,000 for the right to hunt a rare black rhino in Namibia has killed the animal. An American hunter has killed one of the animals, under a special permit he bought for $350,000. An endangered black rhino is seen in this file photo from the Etosha National Park in norhern Namibia last year.

Rhinoceros hunt