View Caption +
The co-host of a hunting show on the Outdoor Channel recently spent $350,000 for the chance to hunt an endangered black rhinoceros in southern Africa.
Dollar Values of Hunted African Animals: Photos
The co-host of a hunting show on the Outdoor Channel recently spent $350,000 for the chance to hunt an endangered black rhinoceros in southern Africa. Corey Knowlton won the Dallas Safari Club's auction for a permit to hunt the rhino in Namibia. Knowlton says he and his family have received death threats after his name was made public through social media. "As much as I would love them all to live forever, they are going to die," Knowlton told CNN . "The older males are killing each other, and something has to be done about it." Nearly any animal can be legally killed in many parts of Africa, so long as the hunter pays the right amount of money. For rare and endangered species, the cost can escalate to many thousands of U.S. dollars. "National parks are obviously trying to make money," Johnny Rodrigues, Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, told Discovery News. "The hunters have to pay the parks if they want to shoot the animals." It can be a Catch-22, since the parks often struggle to pay their staff, which include those who work to care for and protect the animals. The high price tag of a permit may serve as a deterrent, but it also reflects how much poachers can earn without even benefiting the parks.[/br
Vassil, Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
The payment needed to legally shoot an elephant drops to $50,000 in Zimbabwe, with a further loss of $10,000 if the elephant has no tusks. "The reason rhinos are more valuable than elephants is because the horn is so valuable and in such high demand by the Chinese," Rodrigues said.
Patrick Giraud, Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
$20,000 can allow hunters with appropriate permits to kill several rare animals in many parts of Africa. Leopards are on that list, even though The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists them as "threatened."
Patrick Giraud, Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
The price tag on lions is also $20,000. In terms of what happens to the dead animals, "As far as I know," Rodrigues said, "once the animals are hunted, they are exported to the hunter's home country." Upon arrival, the hunter may preserve the animal's dead body and put it on display.
Kevin Pluck, Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
The cost to legally hunt a cheetah in Zimbabwe is $20,000. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists them as "vulnerable," but further mentions that "the known cheetah population is approximately 7,500-10,000 adult animals." In 1975, the number of cheetahs in Africa was estimated at 15,000, revealing that this species has significantly declined in only three generations.
Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
Majestic Roan antelopes also can be hunted for $20,000 in parts of Africa. While its population is more numerous than wild cats, this species has been eliminated from large parts of its former range, primarily due to poaching and habitat loss.
Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reports that sable antelopes possess "high value as a trophy animal."
Paul Maritz, Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
Sometimes the cost to hunt an animal differs if the target is male or female. That is the case for African buffalos, since males have larger horns than females do. The horn size difference costs a hunter an extra two grand to shoot a male African buffalo.
Ikiwaner, Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
A hunter must pay $5,000 to legally shoot a giraffe in Zimbabwe. The IUCN Red List reports that "a recent preliminary population estimate suggests a decline in the total population has taken place." While giraffes are currently listed as being animals of "least concern," that classification might soon change if the estimate is substantiated.
Roland H., Wikimedia Commons
View Caption +
On the less expensive side of the scale are flamingos, which cost only $100 to legally hunt in Zimbabwe. The value of this and the other animals to conservationists and other animal lovers comes without a price tag, however. To them, the animals are priceless. Nevertheless, by putting a price on the heads of animals, some national parks in Africa earn money that helps to fuel their operations. The biggest problem is poachers, who receive relatively light sentences for their crimes. Rodrigues explained, "The only thing a poacher would get if they trapped these animals is a jail sentence if they are caught."
Valdiney Pimenta, Wikimedia Commons
A seriously injured lioness was just saved in a dramatic rescue that took place on April 4 at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, according to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT).
The horn of a buffalo bull had gored the 11-year-old lioness, named Siena, who recently gave birth to three cubs.
Staff from the DSWT contacted Kenyan Wildlife Service veterinarian Dr. Njoroge from Nairobi. He and his team arrived via a small plane. An account posted on the DSWT website explains what happened next:
Treatment started at 3:50 pm after the lioness was successfully darted. Moments after she was tranquilized, a sub-adult lioness promptly sauntered up to Siena, who was still standing, and effectively removed the dart as if she was trained to do so. Thankfully the drugs had already taken effect and Siena safely lay asleep for her treatment whilst the rest of the pride was kept at bay. The wound was extensive and involved the soft tissues and the skin. The vet cleaned the wound using normal saline and then sutured it closed.
The account goes on to say that an antibiotic spray and ointment were next applied. Green clay was also placed over the wound “to accelerate healing.” Long lasting antibiotics were administered via injection to prevent against infection.
The treatment lasted about 1.5 hours and, according to the account, “was a great success.” Siena soon joined the rest of her pride.
Two days later, Siena was seen marching around and tending to her cubs, as usual. She had to urinate and squatted down, which would have involved movement of the wounded area, but she showed no signs of pain.
The lifespan of adult lions in the wild is about 14 years, but Siena already seems to have nine lives.
(Image: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust)