At an auction held yesterday in Dallas by a company claiming to raise money for rhino conservation, a permit to shoot endangered black rhinos was sold for a staggering 350,000 dollars.
The question however is why? Why does the American government allow such a travessty cloaked in a dubious, hypocritical effort to raise money for the conservation of the very animal it has sold a permit to kill for?
The Dallas Safari Club, which held the auction, has claimed that its actions will actually benefit wildlife. They also claim that the rhino to be hunted through the granted permit is an old beast who is not viable for reproduction, and therefore, in their minds, insignificant in terms of preservation of the species.
The permit was hotly contested, with many people vying for it, as testified by the large amount of money it was ultimately sold for.
The FBI has already initiated an investigation, albeit for death threats against members of the club, and not for the sale of the permit, and the alleged hunt, which has already been set up.
Considering how few rhinos are left in the wild, the idea of killing even one of them, or any animal for that matter, should prompt vigorous action against it. But the defenders of the club claim that this is really nothing more than a cull for a specimen that is already in bad health and soon to die.
The hunt will take place in Namibia. Unfortunately, Namibia allows five kills a year for the black rhino and sells the permits to the highest bidders worldwide.
With less than 5,000 rhinos of any kind left in the world, the idea of using the euphemism of 'culling' to excuse the hunt of such a rare species should prompt the US government to sanction Namibia, and prosecute those in the US who are complicit in this action.
Op-Ed
Source : France 24/ 1.12.14
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