Hunting Endangered Black Rhinos to Help Save the Species

Hunting black rhinos to help save the species seems to be a great paradox, but when you look beneath the surface things aren't always what the same.  A Texas club has come under recent fire for their plan to auction off a rare rhino permit in Nambia, home to about 1800 of the remaining 4000 endangered rhinos in the wild. It seems like a good plan.

Yahoo reports from the Associated Press that 100% of the auction proceeds will go to the Nambia government for the sole purpose of rhino preservation. The projected hunt will reportedly be limited to one of five adult male rhinos, not capable of reproducing, and which are actually killing other rhinos. The rhino lottery could raise more than $1 million to help protect the species.

As a former hunter myself, I understand the need for hunting, beyond it's recreational value and the opportunity for an individual to snag a wall mount. Here in Colorado, for example,  the elimination of thousands of deer via hunting every year actually contributes greatly to a continued healthy and thriving wildlife community.

Personally, I would hate the idea of hunting a black rhino - or any other exotic wild animal merely for the sport of it. But when the pursuit of wildlife actually aids in its continued existence, I'm all in.