Texas hunter bags his rhino on controversial hunt in Namibia

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: CNN

Windhoek, Namibia -- Knowlton arrived quietly in Namibia to hunt the famed black rhino.

Nearly 18 months ago, the Texas hunter bid $350,000 to kill a black rhinoceros in the southern African country of Namibia. The permit was issued by Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism and auctioned by the Dallas Safari Club.

Since then, Knowlton has faced scathing criticism and death threats as the world reacted to the controversial hunt of one of the world's most endangered species. Knowlton has spent the last year and a half preparing and planning the hunt that is being highly scrutinized by animal welfare groups around the world.

He agreed to let our CNN crew document the hunt.

"At this point, the whole world knows about this hunt and I think it's extremely important that people know it's going down the right way, in the most scientific way that it can possibly happen," Knowlton said after arriving in Africa.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/africa/namibia-rhino-hunt/index.html

---

Absolutely sickening...

[shenmue]

1. Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

No no no no no no no!!

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

2. I honestly would LOVE to see the rhino shoot this man

He is scientifically killing this animal for sport?


I wish the sport was in reverse...I dont know how much more of these motherfuckers I can take

[KamaAina]

44. Like the elephant that fought back recently?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018751182

[slumcamper]

3. Recipe for EVIL: add 1 large ego, gunz, and as much $$$ as necessary. Kill & thrill. n/t

[sulphurdunn]

6. Just one more ingrediant: Doing it for the benefit of the victim.

[closeupready]

4. Words fail.

[iscooterliberally]

5. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest their armpits.

[samsingh]

7. completely sickening - disgusting. i can't say what i really what about this

imbecile of a hunter.

time will catch up to him someday

[Coventina]

8. "The most scientific way"?!?!?!

[Hoppy]

9. Thank God, CNN was there to preserve this historic moment.

[rpannier]

17. If they can get a video, CNN will be there

example that I wouldn't be surprised CNN would video

Today we are going to witness Person A tossing puppies and kittens off a bridge into the icy waters below.
I know many people are upset with this, but we need to get the video so there can be a discussion about it. And mostly ratings from angry people.

[CharlotteVale]

10. Fucking piece of shit.

[snort]

11. What a total Fuckface.

[Playinghardball]

12. Maybe a rhino will dance on his head during one of his expensive hunts...

I saw that happen one time between a cow and a pitbull when the pittbull got a little too close to her newborn calf...

The pitbull lost...

[Diclotican]

13. NeoConsSuck

NeoConsSuck


If I had been so rich - I would also hunted - for a photography of the rhino - or other great african animals - and maybe even get compelled to make sure black rhinos - and other animals could survive into the future also...

Diclotican

[Joe Magarac]

14. Sounds like there's an unofficial contest for notoriety ...

Who gets to kill the last one?

[NaturalHigh]

15. What an ass!

Think what that $350,000 could have done to actually help people rather than bring death to this innocent creature on the other side of the world.

I hope Knowlton is a social pariah for this.

[Lizzie Poppet]

22. Not to defend trophy hunting (which nauseates me), but...

...that $350k is specifically earmarked for anti-poaching efforts. The rhino selected was one that apparently was going to be culled anyway (older, non-breeding-age male) to protect breeding-age rhibnos. Seems like he could have just donated that money, though. Or hunt poachers, instead...

[byronius]

16. How much for a license to hunt Knowlton?

Kickstarter campaign, and I'm on board.

[Judi Lynn]

38. Now you're talking. No need to give him a running start, either. Here's a photo with his loved one

as they gloat over something helpless, in its home.

[center]

and another,



and another,



Corey Knowlton has hunted widely on 6 continents taking more than
120 species, including a Super Slam of wild sheep and the big five in Africa.

It's time for Corey to hang it up, wouldn't you think? Hope Fate will assist him.[/center]

[7962]

18. I would ask this of anyone who supports these types of hunts:

Why cant you use a tranquilizer gun? You get to have your "thrill of the hunt", get up close, take pictures all you want to show your friends back home who arent as cool as you, and the animal walks away with its life. Most of these are not eaten as far as I know. Put a portrait on the wall instead of a head.
WHY wouldnt that be just as good? I have friends who hunt; they've ALL said they would do it with no problem

[Xithras]

24. Generally, the animal was going to be killed anyway.

Because the species is endangered, Namibia runs several programs to encourage growth in the rhino populations. One of these programs involves killing older male rhinos that are past breeding age. This allows younger male rhinos to take over. This is important because older males will still attack younger males that attempt to mate in their territory, even if the older male is no longer capable of mating himself. By killing off the older male, the rhinos birthrate increases in that area.

Namibia issues a maximum of five rhino hunting permits a year. The target rhinos are specifically identified, and the hunters can only kill the older males that were scheduled to be removed anyway. The Namibian rangers remove rhinos by shooting them.

From the perspective of the Namibian government, the hunts make sense. If the rhinos are going to be shot anyway, why not sell expensive permits so that tourists can do it, allowing their money to help fund the programs that save them? If the permits are selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars each, that's more than a million potential dollars flowing into their wildlife protection funds each year. In a nation like Namibia, that money pays for dozens of armed rangers who guard and protect the rest of the rhino herd against poachers.

[7962]

27. Thanks for the info. It does make sense i guess.

Especially if you're trying to increase the number of animals.
But from the looks of the other posts, you wont get many to agree with you!!

[Jackpine Radical]

33. Sure, I understand the Namibians' action and actually condone it.

That doesn't mean I condone the asshole hunter. The Namibians were just capitalizing on the assholery of certain rich people to provide them with money for a good purpose that they would not have otherwise gotten.

[Telcontar]

34. So their other choice was euthanize the critter and get no dollars

Better to fleece the rich me thinks.

[Jackpine Radical]

35. Precisely.

Some guy who obviously has too much money for his own good got separated from a little of it, and some animals will benefit.

[Half-Century Man]

28. If you need to prove your bravery

Do it like the First Nations of the great plains did, count coup.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_coup

Sneak up on and lightly tap a adult male Black Rhinoceros with a specially made feathered stick and escape unharmed.

[Skittles]

19. FUCKING COWARD

[onehandle]

20. How gun culture-y.

How they love to use their artificially enhanced rods on the defenseless.

The Zimmerman hunt is gun nuts' greatest wild wet dream...

[Liberal_in_LA]

21. sick!

[chernabog]

23. Um, stop killing ALL animals

All animal exploitation should end.

[Travis_0004]

31. The rhino would have been killed anyway

In order to increase the population they occasionally kill male rhinos that are too old to breed, since they will not allow younger breeding age rhinos to mate.

So killing this rhino is designed to help increase the population. And 350k should help conservation.

[chernabog]

39. Well, you are wrong

Eco tourism produces way more money than hunting. Maybe we should just leave the animals alone, I think they know how to be animals.

[catchnrelease]

25. What a load of horse s#@%

Besides the audacity of the 'man' claiming to be doing this to help the species, I love the way the whole article is written. So dramatic, like these guys were in imminent danger of being killed at any moment. I get the impression the author was excited to be part of the whole thing.

Oh and it took how many shots to do this?? Three at first and then after the animal ran off, 30-60 minutes later it takes more to finish the poor thing off. Mighty hunter my ass.

"Any time you take an animal's life it's an emotional thing," Knowlton said. I'll bet. Guessing they all went back and had a few cold ones to celebrate.

This kind of thing hits such a nerve for me. In an earlier part of my life I took care of some of these amazing creatures, so seeing this is EMOTIONAL for me. They are just incredible and to see this, when so much effort is being made to save them, is devastating. Just this past Saturday I was part of a fundraiser called Bowling For Rhinos, put on by (Zoo)Animal Keepers across the US. Over the past years we have raised several million dollars going to the Lewa Preserve in Africa. But it's Mr Knowlton that gets the CNN coverage for his great effort to save the species.

I hope he meets an appropriately poetic ending.

[SoapBox]

26. ...sick.

[Peregrine Took]

29. Knuckle dragger....barely able to remain upright....

soon he will stumble over and then his chin will hit the ground....then he begins to slither in the slime....

[MrBig]

30. Quite Orwellian

Killing the animal to help preserve the species.

Assuming the argument is true - that killing the older males who cannot mate will save the lives of the younger males who can mate, the article itself makes it clear that they didn't even know they killed the "right" rhino until after it was shot.

I'm curious as to if there are any scientists or wildlife experts who support this hunt - or if it's simply, as I'm guessing, an excuse to justify an inhumane act.

[abelenkpe]

32. Not sure what's more sickening

The jerk who had to kill the rhino or CNN tagging along. What better outrage to sell?

[8 track mind]

36. As my dad would say......

It's like a dog chasing a car. Once you got the damn thing, what the hell are you going to do with it........

[bobjacksonk2832]

37. What a scumbag.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the rhinos turn the tables on him one day. It'd be a perfect example of karma biting him in the ass.

[leftyladyfrommo]

40. what an asshole. nt

[NickB79]

41. I'm appalled by the lack of knowledge displayed on this thread

If anyone here had followed this situation at all over the past year, they would know that it was determined by local researchers that this male was quite old and no longer successfully breeding the females in it's territory, but at the same time chasing off and sometimes even injuring younger, fertile males that attempted to mate with his females. In short, it's continued survival in this reserve meant less rhinos would be around in the years to come to maintain the species, not more.

And so, this animal was marked for death by the Namibian government and their government agency that is in charge of protecting their rhino population. And in the past 20 years, they've proven they know exactly what they're doing, as the Namibian rhino population is the healthiest in the world at this point. The population is stable, whereas every other rhino population in Africa is being wiped out. They aren't corrupt, nor are they in the pockets of big game hunters. They appear to be dedicated, intelligent scientists interested in preventing a majestic species from going extinct.

If this hunter hadn't shot this rhino, there would be a bulldozer digging a hole very soon to dump his dead body into after a Namibian conservation officer had shot him. Either way, this animal was going to die by the end of this year. The only difference is that now, the Namibian government has $350,000 more to spend on equipment and guards to protect the younger, viable rhinos under their care.

Far too many people here are letting their emotions over the fate of a single individual threaten the survival of the entire species. When a species gets this close to extinction, hard decisions must be made, and this was the correct decision IMO.

[lonestarnot]

43. They should have let it die first.

[lonestarnot]

42. Piece of shit should be on a stick.