The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is grappling with as it decides whether to grant a license to reality TV show co-host Corey Knowlton to import the rhino head. Knowlton bid $350,000 last year to win a much-publicized auction for the chance to kill a black rhino and is expected to travel to Namibia after the country's hunting season opens next month.
Trophy-hunting opponents say that the idea of killing endangered animals to help save them is absurd. It "sends the signal that the animal is worth more dead than alive," says Jeff Flocken, North American regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Rhino poaching has hit an all-time high, with two to three killed by poachers every day, largely to feed demand for horns in China and Vietnam. The horns are made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails, and are marketed as medicines for everything from cancer to hangovers.
"This is a critically endangered species," Flocken says, "and we're at the point where every individual matters."
Please Do Not Issues Licences To Kill Or Import Black Rhino Heads. Killing Is NOT Conservation!!
Trophy-hunting opponents say that the idea of killing endangered animals to help save them is absurd. It "sends the signal that the animal is worth more dead than alive," says Jeff Flocken, North American regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Rhino poaching has hit an all-time high, with two to three killed by poachers every day, largely to feed demand for horns in China and Vietnam. The horns are made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails, and are marketed as medicines for everything from cancer to hangovers.
"This is a critically endangered species," Flocken says, "and we're at the point where every individual matters."
Once again I urge you not to issues these licences.
Yours Sincerely
Paul Christian (Protect All Wildlife)
