And the hunters have to 'harvest' it. By God that would stop them.

Unregulated hunting did, indeed, put many animals on the endangered list. Modern game management, funded almost entirely by hunters' dollars collected through license and tag fees, taxes on the equipment they use, access fees, and many other means brought them back off of those lists.

In the specific case of the black rhino, however, poaching has been the greatest cause of their decline. Hunters' dollars have rescued them from the very brink of extinction, even though modern day hunting has no way led to their decline.

The black rhino, unfortunately, is blessed with a horn that is, in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures, more valuable than gold. It's reached the point today where game departments will actually tranquilize them and saw their horns off to reduce their appeal to poachers. Yet another program funded by hunters' dollars, even though it results in rhinos that no one will pay to hunt. They do, however, survive to breed, which is the ultimate goal. Perhaps one day the poaching will be brought under control and, by then, the numbers of black rhino may once again allow carefully regulated sport hunting. Then watch their numbers grow...

I was completely serious about farming rhinos. It's the only practical solution.

Wanna Save the Rhino? Legalize Horn Farming - The Science of Society - Pacific Standard: The Science of Society

Benefits for SCI members. You get the kill, including rare and near extinct species past Customs by having it declared for a registered museum and studies. The museum, 'oh drinkin' pal, buddie curator' loans your kill back to you to mount above your mantel.

Awesome... how benefits for membership made it those pricey trips pay off

Promoting questionable tax deductions-

In 2005, controversy erupted over tax write-offs taken by big game hunters for donations of trophies to museums. IRS rules allowed only the fair market value of such donations to be deducted. In most cases, the donations were worth only a fraction of the claimed value, and often accumulated in museum storage facilities.

The tax code was amended in 2006 by the United States Congress. Current law allows for the deduction of either the market value of the trophy or taxidermy costs, whichever is less. The IRS code also now specifically prohibits deducting "direct or indirect costs for hunting or killing an animal, such as equipment costs and the costs of preparing an animal carcass for taxidermy".

I seem to recall reading some years back that in Africa they (don't ask me who 'they' are) found that giving locals ownership in the wildlife was a better method of protecting said wildlife than just making laws against killing the animals.

Applying the concept to waterfowl I truly believe hunters are ducks best friends and the only people truly invested in their survival.

farming rhinos solves some problems but not others, you still lose the wild animal in its native habitat

for some animals, you lose culture (no, it is not limited to humans) - cultural transmission has been demonstrated n wild bighorn sheep for one example (tho what they are transmitting is not particularly interesting to humans - much like the guy who taught his dog to talk and all it did was beg him for food verbally)

as a general thing, most species are in trouble due to habitat loss; shopping malls for the suburban housewife who donates to the World Wildlife Fund is n ironic example; farming is a bigger one

the rhino and the dodo (a bird) are examples where hunting is/was a primary cause of endangerment

Amen.

Maybe Baz will get his wish!

Yahoo!

I agree tho...he bought it for a client...if not I WON'T ever book a hunt with him...he has too much money:D

He should bring the non-breeding male to Texas and let it roam free with the cattle.
That way he lives, and the rhino cows get new 'service'.

Correction - poaching, not hunting, at least as far as the rhino. There is a distinct difference. Granted, that often gets lost in the translation when dealing with non-hunters, and is often purposefully blurred by anti-hunters. Carefully regulated sport hunting (and the funds it generates) have done a good deal to bring this species back from the brink.

ok, good point

re the dodo, I guess we can't really call it poaching since no laws were in effect there

Word has it their eggs were excellent poached.

You really are full of shyte Jeff. Time line the near extinction of the rhino. Only in the last 50 years when China decided they didn't like western medicine did poaching start. The fallacy of the horn started. The decline of the rhino started 50-75 years before that. From hunting, regulated or not. & farming. Don't blame poachers for hunters decimation. Sure they are a huge part of the problem NOW but hunters started it, as usual. Please continue the rationalization though.

Bring the species back?????????? Then why are you talking about killing an animal to save the species????? Geez. Oh right, sorry, your ilks need to kill.

And another thing... I have more respect for the poachers than I do for the hunters that hunt this type of animals. At least poachers are killing for profit, greed. You folks, you kill for the joy, the manlyhood, the climax, the trophy. Disgusting the lot of you.

Here's a thought. Why not just let them follow natures path to extinction? It's a fact of life, like death and taxes.

Never understood our obsession with intervening to prevent extinction. It will happen anyway. Always has, always will.

Problem solved.

What have you done to help the preservation any species of wildlife?

Hunters spend real dollars year after year on licensing, memberships, etc.

You're more than welcome to not hunt but don't for a second believe that the wildlife you enjoy looking at would exist in many cases BUT FOR HUNTERS.

Do you think locals in Africa give two ****s about a rhino? I'll bet they give more than a couple ****s about a foreigner's money when he's willing to drop $15k to come hunt one.

I personally don't get hunting something you're not going to eat but it is undeniable that allowing hunting of a species does very real good in keeping it alive. Certainly the hunters that kill these things have spent more money on the rhino and it's habitat than you ever will.

Oh and the next time you appreciate a big head or broad shoulders on a lab or chessie be sure to thank the men who hunted his ancestors.

Unfrickinbelievable!!!:rolleyes:

^^^ No doubt. Every time I see his screen name I can't help but think how I'd like to raise a couple of terriers, train them to chase white tailed bucks and share a nice venison meal with the pups. Unfortunately we can't use "deer dogs" here.

Buckterrier, how ironic.

That poor dog never will get to do what it was bred for.

Poach the poachers.