Hunter Corey Knowlton defends paying $388k to kill rare black rhino

HUNTER Corey Knowlton has defended buying a permit to kill one of the fewer than 5000 black rhinoceroses left on the planet.

Corey Knowlton

BLACK rhino auction winner Corey Knowlton has responded to the uproar over him spending US$350,000 ($388,000) to obtain a permit to kill one of the fewer than 5000 black rhinoceroses left on the planet.

Unrepentant Hunting Consortium consultant and dad of two Knowlton says people should use the furor as a way to spark discussion about conservation, the New York Post reports.

Mr Knowlton said on his Facebook page - which is full of bloody images of him proudly posing next to animals he has killed, including a giant brown bear and a record-breaking mako shark - "Thank you all for your comments about conservation and the current situation regarding the Black Rhino. I am considering all sides and concerns involved in this unique situation. Please don't rush to judgment with emotionally driven criticism towards individuals on either sides of this issue. I deeply care about all of the inhabitants of this planet and I am looking forward to more educated discussion regarding the ongoing conservation effort for the Black Rhino."

Mr Knowlton purchased the controversial permit - auctioned off at a Dallas Safari Club event Saturday - from the Namibian government to hunt an endangered black rhino. The event was framed as a fundraiser, with organisers claiming the proceeds would be used for preservation of the magnificent, endangered species. It was claimed that the rhino that would be hunted via this permit was an old, post-breeding bull.

It is believed that Mr Knowlton - described as an experienced hunter who has "hunted widely on six continents taking more than 120 species" - bought the permit for an unnamed client. He refused to respond to calls from the Post.

Mr Knowlton’s boss, Hunting Consortium president Robert P Kern, responded in an e-mail saying, "The government of Namibia urgently needs funding ... to combat the latest onslaught of poaching ... The fastest way to do this was to auction a single rhino bull, provided by the government of Namibia ... No rhino is immortal. We feel that it is far better to allow this rhino to be hunted in exchange for a huge donation to the anti-poaching campaign, rather than letting him die of natural causes."