CNN details Texas hunter Corey Knowlton’s much criticized black rhino hunt in Namibia.  Knowlton bid $350,000 for the hunt at a Dallas Safari Club event.  Supporters argue that the hunt will provide funds for conservation and to prevent poaching while culling an older and dangerous non-reproductive male from the dwindling herd of around 5000 black rhinos in the wild.  Hunting and some wildlife conservation opponents scoff at those claims.  Red understands that most hunters are true wildlife conservationists as they have a direct interest in seeing that species survive – albeit to be hunted.  The efforts of groups such as Ducks Unlimited, who have worked for decades to increase waterfowl habitat, cannot be discounted.  Whiler there are clearly some immature and idiotic hunters who abuse the privilege, this planned and controlled rhino hunt seems like a perfectly acceptable way to raise money to preserve the species and should not be rejected on anti-hunting bias alone.  Red for one can’t wait to watch the CNN report.

Nearly 18 months ago, the Texas hunter bid $350,000 to kill a black rhinoceros in the southern African country of Namibia. The permit was issued by Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism and auctioned by the Dallas Safari Club.

Since then, Knowlton has faced scathing criticism and death threats as the world reacted to the controversial hunt of one of the world’s most endangered species. Knowlton has spent the last year and a half preparing and planning the hunt that is being highly scrutinized by animal welfare groups around the world.

He agreed to let our CNN crew document the hunt. “At this point, the whole world knows about this hunt and I think it’s extremely important that people know it’s going down the right way, in the most scientific way that it can possibly happen,” Knowlton said after arriving in Africa.

Knowlton, 36, from Dallas, wants the world to see that the hunt of such a majestic beast on the African continent is not the work of a bloodthirsty American hunter but a vital component of Namibia’s effort to save the animal from extinction.

Knowlton’s $350,000 will go to fund government anti-poaching efforts across the country. And the killing of an older rhino bull, which no longer contributes to the gene pool but which could harm or kill younger males, is part of the science of conservation, he argues.

That’s why he says he’s doing more to save the black rhino than his critics, and why he wanted us along on this historic hunt.

Opponents like the International Fund for Animal Welfare have not been swayed, saying hunting as conservation is a bankrupt notion. “We’ll simply never agree with that,” fund director Azzedine Downes said. “There’s a lot of other things that we can and must do in order to protect these animals.”

The journey of this hunt will examine the emotional debate raging around the issue of how best to protect endangered species on a continent that is home to some of the most legendary animals on the planet.

“I think people have a problem just with the fact that I like to hunt,” Knowlton said. “I want to see the black rhino as abundant as it can be. I believe in the survival of the species.”

For the record, Red would love to see one of these magnificent creatures in person – although not too close up – and he has absolutely no interest in shooting one – at any price.