FOR SALE: 50 white rhinos
26/02/2007 16:28 - (SA)

From News 24

Kulani Mavunda


Skukuza - About 50 white rhinos from the Kruger National Park are to go on sale.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has decided to sell the animals to raise funds for the development of the country's national parks.

Kruger spokesperson Raymond Travers said on Monday: "Income generated from this sale will be used for the development of new national parks or the expansion of existing ones."

Prospective buyers have until March 30 to make an offer for the rhinos. The animals will be captured between March and May.

In 2005 the cost of male white rhinos ranged from R60 000 to R100 000, depending on their size, while females sold for about R110 000 each.

Must transport own animals

Travers said prospective buyers must have import permits for the rhinos from their respective provinces.

Buyers also would be responsible for transporting the animals.

Travers said: "The white-rhino population in the Kruger stands at about 6 000,"

White rhinos are the third-largest land mammals and are not as rare as black ones.

Prospective buyers should contact Johan Malan at 013 735 4199 or 082 908 2689 or email johanm@sanparks.org for more information.

Would anyone care to comment on the relationship between the successful growth in White Rhino populations and the revenue raised by "canned" hunting?

I think the white rhino is a testiment to the role that sport hunting plays in the conservation of a species. I believe that the future of the black rhino is likely to be similar to that of the white.

Third largest. Is hippo number two?

So... with these fifty rhino coming from Kruger where they've assumedly spent their entire lives "in the wild" will they still have to be in their new home until 2009 until one can be hunted???

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter Formerly Known As Texas Hunter:
Third largest. Is hippo number two?

I think Indian rhino is bigger than the white rhino.

Would anyone care to comment on the relationship between the successful growth in White Rhino populations and the revenue raised by "canned" hunting?

One can easily argue the successful growth of the White Rhino is due in part to their aesthetic value. It's not what we always want to hear as hunters, but I think a large part of the value of having Rhino or any of the big five on a property is their aesthetic and marketing value . Nothing pleases a group of tourists and hunters like close up pictures of the big five!

I believe this is a win win proposition for everybody! The government sells surplus older animals generating badly needed revenue for conservation, The Landowner buys a Rhino and gets years of happy photo clients and at some point a nice trophy to sell. Is this canned hunting ? Absolutely! I think it should be called collecting. But I think we all agree in the new africa animals do have to pay their way. Even some of the antis understand this. So why does it not generate all the bad press that penned lion hunts do?

#1 These Rhino are generally wild surplus animals past their useful breeding age.
#2 The money generated from these auctions goes directly to conservation.

Penned Lions on the other hand are bred and raised in small double fenced pens for the sole intent of killing them as trophies . There is no denying huge sums of money are generated. But nothing go towards conservation! It would be nice dream to think part of the money generated was reinvested into the local community. But in the real world it more likely sent directly to a US bank, safe from any prying eyes!

/

"I think Indian rhino is bigger than the white rhino" - Harris

Thanks Harris.

The population growth chart at the very bottom is of interest.

http://www.rhino-sadc.org/view.cfm?linkid=1&linkcategor...=The%20white%20rhino

Can someone tell me what this translates to in US dollars -- not that I'm considering buying a rhino, just curious......

~7 rand per 1usd

110,000RAND = $15,714

60,000RAND = $8,570

Thanks TexasHunter!

quote:

in fact it was hunting and hunters that brought the Rhino to near extinction.

This statement is not entirely true... Let me expound - while the rhino were hunted down and shot, this is not the same as what we call "hunting" by modern day standards - "sport hunting" if you will. It is to equate ivory hunting, (American) Buffalo hunting, all forms of "market hunting", poaching, etc.. with modern sport hunters. It is unfair and it is what our detractors continually do. Unfortunately most of the 80% of the population who are neither pro or anti hunting do not make this distinction either. We as hunters and conservationists should make this important distiction whenever we can!

It will be interesting to see how fast they sell and who buys them.

Do they make good pets? Can they be house broken? If someone could breed a miniature rhino, he would get rich. I can see it now, take the rhino for a walk on a leash and the chicks would go wild!!!!

/

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
Do they make good pets? Can they be house broken? If someone could breed a miniature rhino, he would get rich. I can see it now, take the rhino for a walk on a leash and the chicks would go wild!!!!

Someone could get rich, but I can see it now, in a few years there would be so many breeders, it would be like emus and pot bellied pigs, you could pick up a miniature pot bellied rhino for next to nothing at your local animal shelter!