At an auction at the Dallas Safari Club someone has just paid $350 000 for the privilege of killing/hunting/euthanasing a black rhino in Namibia.
It was actually sold as a licence to hunt a black rhino.
So what is really the truth behind all the spin this has created? The way I see it, it can be any of the following:
1. Dirty money. Pure and simple – a rhino dies and some pockets are getting a padded lining.
2. Honourable money – the money (all of it) will actually be intelligently spent towards survival of the species. Speaking of which: Are the decision makers fully informed on the species Diceros bicornis? Are they aware that out of the seven subspecies, three are already extinct? The subspecies currently on the brink of extinction is Diceros bicornis occidentalis – restricted to a few wildlife reserves in Namibia. Are they going to ensure the victim does not belong to this subspecies? Could be the last one, guys… Just saying.
3. A specific animal. There are rumours that a specific rhino is on the verge of dying, and instead of letting nature take its course, it can be euthanased with a heavy caliber rifle by someone crazy enough to pay a fortune for the ‘privilege’. The person may even refer to the exercise as ‘hunting’.
4. The Namibian Authorities are sticking to their guns on a rather ancient decision that five hunting licences will be issued annually to hunt black rhino. If so, they have been living on a different planet over the last decade or two.
Sad to say, but this little planet we call home is in a sorry state.
