An American trophy hunter paid $400,000 (about R5,875,000) to kill a critically endangered black rhino in Namibia in 2018. He now wants to import the skin, skull and horns to the USA.
Image source: Madeleine van Heerden
According to The New York Times, Chris Peyerk applied for a federal permit in April this year. Under the US Endangered Species Act, it’s illegal to import trophies of endangered species. This is unless the hunt can be determined beneficial to the survival of the species.
According to The Independent, the Trump administration has granted Chris Peyerk his permit.
Peyerk paid a conservation organisation in Namibia to shoot and kill the black rhino bull in Mangetti National Park in May 2018. The animal was 29 years old and was interfering with breeding by younger bulls.
Peyerk’s payment was kept for rhino conservation and the animal’s meat was given to nearby communities. According to WWF, there are 5,000 black rhino left in Africa.
Speaking to The Associated Press, spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife Service Laury Parramore said, ‘Legal, well-regulated hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation.’
Various animal activist groups are up in arms over Peyerk’s successful application to import the animal’s parts.
