Otherwise, we have seen many countries where there is no hunting, it’s failing because there are no resources,” Kamenye told CNN.Ī ‘real threat to the survival of animals’ “In Namibia, hunting is something that we need. He said since 2015, levels of rhino poaching in his country have declined.įrans Kamenye, the fund manager for Namibia’s Game Products Trust Fund, said the $350,000 raised from Knowlton’s 2015 hunt was used to buy ten Land Cruisers, an air patrol boat, four amphibian eight-wheel vehicles, and gasoline – all key resources that are used by anti-poaching task forces. Ndokosho said the funds protect the wildlife and help improve the livelihood of the Namibian people. He said the money goes directly to fund conservation activities, water for wildlife, anti-poaching operations, equipment for the community and research. “We have taken a conscious decision to sustainably harvest some of the older wildlife, some of the post mature bulls that are basically fighting with the young ones, sometimes killing the young ones or females,” Johnson Ndokosho, deputy director of Wildlife and National Parks with Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism told CNN from the convention floor. The country describes the income generated by hunts like Knowlton’s as “critical” for supplying the infrastructure used to help save the wildlife from extinction. Namibia earmarks a small quota of the animals to be hunted annually. There are only around 5,000 black rhinos left on the planet, according to the World Wildlife Fund and Namibian government officials say their nation has the second-highest population anywhere. “It’s about a value on wildlife, and the proof that it works is the fact that we are sitting here in this building, and all these people are marketing and supporting wildlife, and so there is a value on it beyond its value of meat,” Knowlton said. The model he is referring to is “conservation,” terminology that is part of The Dallas Safari Club’s mission statement, and a debate that Knowlton knows well after his rhino hunt.Īnd even though the animal is considered “critically endangered” by wildlife organizations around the world, Knowlton is steadfast in his belief that sustainable hunting like this is the key to help save the black rhino species. “I believe this is the best model that exists for it, if you like or you don’t like it.” “I care about all of wildlife in wild places, and I want it to be around for our future generations,” Knowlton told CNN, getting slightly emotional.

And the debate is centered around a concept that aims to create a model for sustainable hunting. Activists are fighting hard to stop it – while hunters are trying to save it. The annual convention takes place during a critical time for big-game hunting.

If you pony up enough cash, you’ll find yourself heading to remote parts of North America, Africa, China or Russia – places many people can only dream about – for the chance to track and kill some of the world’s most magnificent and endangered beasts.

Want to book the hunting adventure of your dreams? Rhinos, lions, antelopes and various types of big game animals that have all been stuffed by taxidermists to be trophies in someone’s home or office. There are also lots of animals – none of them alive. Tens of thousands of them have come from all over the world to the annual Dallas Safari Club Convention & Sporting Expo.Įverywhere you look in this sprawling 800,000-square-foot convention you see weapons, gear and just about every type of hunting paraphernalia available. It’s a place where serious big game hunters hang out and network – kind of a supermarket for hunting enthusiasts.

Big game hunter