Debate over Dallas Safari Club auctioning black rhino hunting permit- Alix Kast

Saturday night, people will be able to bid on the chance to hunt one of the world's most endangered animals. The Dallas Safari Club is sponsoring the auction. They claim that this is meant to help save the rhino's species, as all of the proceeds (which are estimated to reach between $250,000 and $1 million) will go to the government of the country where it is located, and is meant to fund conservation efforts. It is estimated that there are only about 5,000 black rhinos left in the world. The Dallas Safari Club has received death threats because of the auction. The club received a permit from the Namibian government (Namibia is the country in which this rhino is located), and recently the government has allowed three such permits a year. The country only allows old rhinos that do not contribute to reproduction to be hunted. This is meant to protect younger, stronger rhinos from being hunted. The biggest threat to these animals are poachers. Their horns can sell from $60,000 per kilogram. In the 1980s, the population got down to just a few dozen rhinos. But conservation efforts managed to help restore more of the population. It is difficult for the country to raise conservation funds since the country is very poor (the World Bank estimates the gross per capita income to be less than $6,000). The government cannot ignore a chance to raise funds this quickly.

I can't say that I agree with what these people are doing. What kind of example does it set for them to hunt an endangered animal, like poachers would? Sacrificing this one animal for the "greater good" seems fairly logical. But it is difficult to say if it is really right. Even though the money is meant to go to conservation, the funds could be used for something else.  This auction and hunt send out a dangerous message: that a rare animal is more valuable dead than alive. But making death threats against the club is definitely not the way to show that you disagree with their idea. It would be better if an alternative way of making funds quickly. Most conservationists believe that charging people to go on safaris to see these rare animals would be the best way to help them. It seems to me that there will be very few permits released in the future due to the huge amount of controversy on the matter, which is probably for the best.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/10/us/black-rhino-hunting-permit/index.html?hpt=us_c2