If the Anti's really cared, why wouldn't they spend some of there vast "donations" and outbid everyone on the auction? I'm sure the money PETA spends on one commercial would be in the millions and would do a lot better going to anti-poaching which is where the monies from this auction are going.

Strange, I think I just answered my own question

Emotions, not facts rule these imbeciles.
They are the HATERS.
Threatening not only Ben Carter, but his family that has nothing to do with this.
Can't bury these people deep enough for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Canuck32:
If the Anti's really cared, why wouldn't they spend some of there vast "donations" and outbid everyone on the auction? I'm sure the money PETA spends on one commercial would be in the millions and would do a lot better going to anti-poaching which is where the monies from this auction are going.

Strange, I think I just answered my own question

You my friend are embracing logic. That should never get in the way of a good argument.

Jeff

Big surprise………. NOT! I can remember doing a show in San Mateo, CA and we had bomb threats there every day. All the exhibitors would have to leave, police would do a sweep with dogs, etc. and then we would all go back in and the show would start again. Real pain in the ass, and that was just for a regular 'hunting & fishin' show.

Throw a black rhino hunt into the mix………… well, just not much of a shock.

I have never quite grasped the concept of committing a felony to "right" something one did not agree with that was perfectly legal.

quote:

I have never quite grasped the concept of committing a felony to "right" something one did not agree with that was perfectly legal.

Larry, could it be because you have something called common sense?

I have never been able to fathom the thought process of those eco-terrorists!

They have absolutely no concept of what life is, and how species survive.

They keep looking at the world as if looking through a mirror, and all they can see is themselves.

Sadly, Joe public has been brainwashed by the media that they have become clueless.

http://allafrica.com/stories/2...00610.html?viewall=1



Namibia: FBI Probes Namibian Rhino Hunting Threats
BY SHINOVENE IMMANUEL, 10 JANUARY 2014




THE American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing death threats against staff members of the institution that is set to auction off a permit this weekend to kill an endangered Namibian black rhino.

"The FBI is aware of the threats. If a violation of federal law is determined, additional action or investigation as necessary will take place," said FBI's spokesperson Katherine Chaumont.

According to the Associated Press (AP) report, the club's executive director, Ben Carter, said the threatening messages - about a dozen sent by email and posted on the group's website - appear to be orchestrated by people who oppose hunting.

Chaumont told the AP that the FBI is reviewing multiple threats against the Dallas Safari Club, the institution that plans to auction a permit this Saturday, an event that is set to attract more than 40 000 people.

The club is estimating that the permit to hunt the Namibian Rhino could fetch about N$10 million tomorrow.

The group and the Namibian government have pleaded innocence and said that their action will have better returns as all proceeds will go towards rhino conservation efforts in Namibia.

News about the probe by the world renowned intelligence agency comes at a time when global cyber activist are threatening the Namibian government with hacking its system if they persist in selling rhino hunting permits.

Wildlife sympathisers and activist have criticised the Club and the Namibian government for allowing the intentional hunting of rhinos however Carter said it's meant to cull aggressive rhinos in an effort to protect the larger herd.

He said the Namibia hunt will focus on an older, non-breeding male with a pattern of aggression toward other rhinos.

This was reiterated by Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, this week who said that the government was not violating any laws.

He also said government would stick to its programme because it is being done in a sustainable manner, which brings money for future conservation initiatives.

"Rhinos are our resources and we not violating any laws. They must just understand that we will continue doing what we are doing and they should also know that with our rhino population growing, harvesting is part of our programme," he said.

The AP report quotes Jeffrey Flocken, the North American regional director of the Massachusetts-based International Fund for Animal Welfare saying that culling the herd is the wrong approach, given the limited number of black rhinos in existence. The better approach is to protect the rhino by establishing a secure habitat that welcomes the paying public to view the animal, he said.

"This auction is telling the world that an American will pay anything to kill their species," Flocken said. "This is, in fact, making a spectacle of killing an endangered species".

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism announced last year that they obtained a five-year approval from Cabinet to sell five black rhinoceros yearly for trophy hunting.

The hunting will be conducted through tender.

Two black rhinoceros were sold through the tender process to Namibian companies for N$1,85 million and N$2,1 million, respectively last year.

If Jeffrey Flocken would like to see black rhinos and photograph them in a secure protected environment, he should just go to Erindi Game Reserve in Namibia and see it for himself, and with his own eyes.

Yes, they are protected there, and conservation of the species is ensured and paramount to any threatened resource.

What day will this hunt be auctioned?

Frostbit,

The auction is tonight. I've been responding to friends and family who have seen the negative news stories. Here is a bit of what I have written to them in case it helps with a similar situation for anyone else:

In the hunting circles, especially the African hunting circles, the ultimate goal is to take the "Big 5." The Big 5 consists of Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, and Rhino. These are storied beasts, steeped in legend, and all dangerous to hunt regardless of weapon used. Leopard and Cape Buffalo are reasonable price-wise to harvest. Lion and Elephant are expensive, particularly trophy males. Rhino are in a whole different class, usually in the six figure range.

Yes, rhino numbers are drastically down from historic levels. There are two different types of rhinos in Africa, the White Rhino and the Black Rhino. The White Rhino is the more affordable and more available option, with only a few Black Rhino harvested each year (prices in the high six figures.) So why hunt rhinos? The answer is surprisingly simple, and quite logical.

Rhinos are poached in large numbers because their horns are believed to have aphrodisiac powers, specifically in Asia. Africa is a very poor continent. People are literally starving there, especially in the more wild areas where rhinos are found. Poaching one rhino and selling its horn on the black market represents an amazing opportunity to better one's life and feed one's family. It is hard to blame the natives for poaching the rhinos when we take the time to look at the conditions in which they live. As such, every rhino that can be found gets poached. The natives are responsible for the decline in rhino numbers, not the white hunters such as the one in the picture.

How can this issue be resolved? Yes, there are game scouts and patrollers, but the African bush is very vast and the motivation to poach high. This is not a viable solution. The answer is to make the rhinos more valuable alive than dead. By allowing a limited number of white hunters to come in and legally take a rhino for six figures, and have a large portion of this money go to the local people, all of a sudden the natives become the best friends of the rhinos. Their number one goal has now changed to making sure that every rhino is protected and revered. They want there to be enough rhinos around that the government will allot a few tags to white hunters. The absolutely enormous financial infusion that stems from the legal harvest of one white rhino is worth so much more than hawking a few horns on the black market. The same has been done with elephants, tremendously successfully. Money talks, here in the US, and in Africa.

Among the two different types of rhinos in Africa, the black rhino and the white rhino, the white rhino is known as the "dumb" rhino. They are oafish and quite stupid, presenting little sporting opportunity. Black rhino are another matter altogether, and thus have a different stigma attached to them. Roark, Roosevelt, Hemingway, Capstick and other authors have penned many tales about the pursuit of the black rhino. As such, the black rhino is a treasured and dreamed-of trophy by many blue-blood trophy hunters who have the financial means to pursue this rare opportunity.

Black rhinos are carefully managed (although not immune to the threat of poaching). The reserve on which this tremendously controversial rhino is to be hunted is carefully managed. Each rhino is individually known and monitored. The one selected for this auction is an old male rhino. He is no longer able to breed, thus representing no use to the propagation of the species. He is in declining health and will die shortly of natural causes with no monetary reward for the rhino population whatsoever. If he dies a few months short of his natural passing by the bullet of a rich white hunter, a not-so-small fortune will be directly put into black rhino conservation and protection.

This hunt is not for a random black rhino. It is for the specific male detailed above. Come to your senses and think logically. There is no way that this $500,000 - $1,000,000 will get into the hands of rhino conservation without sacrificing this one rhino a few months short of his natural death. He is useless to the current population. The rich white hunters who will be bidding on the right to harvest him are good people, but not so good as to see no physical return on their large sum of money. The overall rhino population loses basically nothing and gains a tremendous amount. There are no negatives here and quite literally a million positives.


An additional reply I wrote to someone who talked about the money not going to appropriate places and the idea that rhino horns are worth $300,000 on the black market:

Rhino horns do not go for $300,000. Also, the people the African poachers are able to sell the horns to will only pay the poachers a small amount. This amount will be sizable in relation to their poverty level, but nowhere near what they will be able to hawk it for in Asia. The amount of money they will get will be sizable only to them, not to the village. As such, the chiefs and local authorities understand the value of protecting the rhinos so that one or two can be hunted at tremendous value to the local people, not just to one poacher. By poaching, one is effectively stealing from one's village. This is most certainly not looked upon favorably by the local chiefs and authorities and is usually punished by death.

Last year two black rhinos were legally hunted in in Namibia, for N$1,85 million and N$2,1 million, respectively. To put these numbers in perspective, the rhino that will sell tonight at auction may bring around N$10 million.

In 2013, 946 white rhinos were poached in South Africa. South Africa has the largest population of rhinos in the world, both white and black rhinos. Still, this is a small number and the number poached is far from sustainable. The reason that the number of rhinos poached has been growing from year to year recently is two-fold. One, South Africa (where there are more rhinos than anywhere else, remember), has been going through a financial crisis. The large landowners as well as government agencies have been forced to cut funding that went into the protection of the rhinos. Two, Asia has seen a huge economic upswing, especially at the top levels. This increased demand and greater prices, coupled with less protection and more desperation on the part of would-be poachers has led to a perfect storm of rhino poaching.

It is absolutely crucial that money for rhino conservation come from somewhere. As much as the average citizen and anti-hunters cry "boo-hoo," they are not donating to the problem. Should they even be expected to? There are many human rights issues out there - starving children all over the world as well as here in America, a lack of potable drinking water, multiple natural disasters - all of these are worthy causes for your dollars. Rhinos have to pay their own way. Hunters are rhino's greatest benefactors, just as hunters achieved such amazing results with the wild turkey, waterfowl, bighorn sheep, and so many other species. Without organizations such as the NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation), Ducks Unlimited, and the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society, much of our cherished wild game would be in dire straits.

The point about Africa being a hub of mismanaged money is not off base. I've spent a fair amount of time in Africa and have immersed myself in it through literature and following the local news feeds, as well as having kept in contact with those living there. Corruption is rampant. However, those in the rhino conservation effort have gone to great lengths to assure that the money donated to the cause goes directly with the cause. With this auction, which has gotten so much publicity, no politician or local official would dare touch the money for personal betterment. All of this publicity virtually assures that the money will be watched over by everyone.

There may be no perfect solution, to that I will agree. However, without trying, what do we have? Certain failure. The only shot that is sure to miss is the one not taken. These majestic creatures, which no one appreciates more than hunters, are in need of our help. Are you an organ donor? Once your body is used up, why not let it help those in need? This old black rhino is on the way out. It will do more to help the survival of its species than the thousands of people complaining about this auction.

Someone sent me a couple of pictures. There are only a few protesters. One is carrying a sign that says "Killing for conservation is like screwing for virginity."

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
.... "Killing for conservation is like screwing for virginity."

That's funny and on the face of it they sound similar. Too bad we Americans are so slogan driven. It's always a long drive between thinking people in this country.

Got that Frostbit? - "The Big 5 consists of Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, and Rhino."

You learn something new every day here.

Just got back from the DSCI show. Saw no protesters at all. It is a very good show with a lot of people attending.

From what I see most of the people opposed to this are white. Seems they have a bigoted attitude that the Namibians aren't smart enough to manage their resources.

National news on all of the networks. Shows you what the antis really want to do to all of us.

You are correct .

$350,000. I am shocked. I thought it would be well above $1 million.

I would suspect the negative publicity kept some out of it.

I'm sure Bob Barker's autographed photo would have fetched at least that amount.

Bob Barker letter

I would ban anyone who opposes hunting from eating any meat or animals product.

They should also be banned from using any animals products like skins et5c for their fashions.

Let us see how long they survive that?

This hypocrisy is unbelievable.

PC run amuck!

Don't you know grocery store meat is raised on a farm. Didn't come from an animal.

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Don't you know grocery store meat is raised on a farm. Didn't come from an animal.

May be DSC should have stated that the rhino was going to be HARVESTED, none of this would have happened!

I read a response from a Namibian PH who had the best response: "they (animal rights people) have no clue what's happening here on the ground in Africa. They are clueless."