14 DAY TRIAL // Just a few days ago, the news that a permit to kill a rare black rhino had been auctioned off and had sold for an impressive $350,000 (€255,988) made headlines. As reported at that time, the auction was organized by the Dallas Safari Club and was held in the city of Dallas in Texas, United States on January 11.
Seeing how, despite claims that the money raised at this event would serve to promote conservation efforts, the auction was subject to quite a lot of bad publicity, it was easy to assume that the name of the person who bought the permit would not be shared with the public.
It turns out this was not the case. On the contrary, it has been revealed that the hunter who won said auction is a man by the name Corey Knowlton.
According to Daily Mail, Corey Knowlton is married, has two daughters and is very passionate about tracking down animals and shooting them dead. Hence his reportedly having a 10-year experience working in the hunting tourism industry.
The same source tells us that, ever since Corey Knowlton won the Dallas Safari Club auction for the permit to kill a rare black rhino living in Namibia's Mangetti National Park, some people who do not like him all that much have been sending him death threats.
In an attempt to calm these people down, the hunter took to Facebook to explain that, as surprising as this may sound, he actually cares about animals and was more than willing to part with $350,000 knowing that this money would serve to protect an endangered species.
“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,” Corey Knowlton wrote on his Facebook page.
“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,” he added.
As explained by Ben Carter, the executive director of the Dallas Safari Club, the rhino that Corey Knowlton has been given permission to kill is an old male that not only is no longer able to breed, but that also constituted a threat to younger bulls, cows and even calves.