Endangered rhino hunting permit auctioned for $350k

The black rhinoceros is one of the most critically endangered species in the world — and a US hunter has paid a handsome price to cut its numbers even further.

The Dallas Safari Club confirmed on its Facebook page that it auctioned off the right to shoot and kill a black rhino for US$350,000 ($389,000) at a private event on Saturday night.
The unidentified winner will travel to Namibia to claim their prize.
The auction has been loudly condemned by wildlife activists. Around 40 protesters held signs and chanted outside the convention centre where the bidding took place, reports the Associated Press.
The FBI says it is investigating death threats made against the Safari Club.
But the Safari Club insists the auction will ultimately help to save the black rhino.
It claims all proceeds will be donated to the Namibian government to be put towards conservation efforts.
"This is the best way to have the biggest impact on increasing the black rhino population," said Ben Carter, executive director of the Dallas Safari Club.
Carter said Namibia's government only allows "old, nonbreeding [rhinoceros] males that are not contributing to the population anymore" to be hunted, reports CNN.
One conservation group deemed the Dallas Club's reasoning "a sad joke".
"This auction tells the world that some Americans will pay anything for the opportunity to kill one of the last of a species," said Jeffrey Flocken from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, in a statement published online before the auction.
The World Wildlife Fund says that relentless hunting and poaching of the black rhino during the 20th century saw its numbers collapse from 70,000 to less than 5000 today.