war is peace and hunting is conservation
21
Yep. And the truth is fake news.
15
More and more I look forward to the human species going the way of the dinosaur. Folks, we have caused so much destruction to this beautiful planet and its sentient inhabitants.
25
What a horrible person and a vast waste of money (and beauty).
32
Chris D. Peyerk is as bad as that dentist who killed Cecil the lion, and the hunter who killed Pedals, the "walking" bear.
33
It's not appealing but the money can help by paying to defend the rhinos from poaching. Tourism can also help. Even better to pay to shoot one with a camera.
5
@Daphne poaching means "being killed by those who are not rich enough to pay". But we don't need to defend the Rhinos from poaching, we need to defend them from being killed at all. When you say we need to defend Rhinos from poaching, it is like saying that we need to defend the Amazon from illegal deforestation, when ALL deforestation, legal and illegal is bad. It is like saying that we need to defend our rivers from illegal dumping when all pollution, legal and illegal is harmful.
13
I’m not anti hunting so my qualms do not rest there. My concern, is this hunting? Those of us who grew up in Michigan & hunted know the difference between hunting primarily for food and hunting strictly for trophies is mostly a class distinction. Trophy hunting like this is a rich mans game. It’s about ego and bragging rights and is no different than any other rich man endeavor. I have the bigger yacht, I own the most homes, I killed an endangered rhino. It’s chest thumping bravado and deserves the disapprobation it engenders. There’s nothing admirable about trophy hunting like this, someone else does all the work & you sit in comfort until taking the shot. Then you fly home & get a permit to hang a carcass on your wall for friends to admire and tell you what a big man you are. It’s pretty sad really, no wonder Trumps sons do it.
58
The state of Michigan could have better used $400,000 on wildlife and parks within its boundaries.
Namibia is a lovely country that I have visited several times, but this is grotesque. Shame on them. This man's greed is disgusting.
29
@Tim I missed the part the state paid for this. From what I read, the man paid for it. The State has to give approval for the permit to import the remains.
Are you saying the man should have given the money to the state? Well, it's his money. Not saying I agree or disagree with his actions.
Just clarifying I believe it's not the state's money and it's his choice how to spend his money.
2
Last time I flew into Atlanta, customs confiscated an apple I had bought in London. It could be carrying insects and bacteria which might endanger US agriculture. Fair enough: I willingly gave up my apple and I am sure it was sensibly destroyed. What precautions are in place to ensure that large lumps of rhinoceros are free of harmful species?
15
This is 2016, I was in Tanzania, the Serengeti.
My guide/driver and I(connected to close to 35-40 other guides via wireless) tried tracking rhinos for five days in an area twice the size of NY city for 5 days (from 6 am to 7 pm) and finally found a female, mature baby, and a male rhino tagging behind, whom the female kept rebuffing.
I remember that moment. It was an odd emotion of, finally, thank God that we found them and an oddly hushed one as well at the same time... these amazing animals are gone, aren't they?
I felt like crying.
Then, last year I went to Namibia to track/see the desert-adapted rhinoceroses. We finally found an adult female and her juvenile son, a male.
All these were Black rhino (also, white are not white, it comes from the word "wijd" in Dutch/Afrikaan, so contorted to white, watch the upper lip, it's wide). And the black rhino is not black, it just has a pointy prehensile upper lip.
I saw that Nambian government is trying their best but draught and lack of funds is a major issue. Pouching is a real threat. And the land area in which these rhinos move is so wide and extensive and keeping check difficult.
I don't know this hunting/killing sets a good precedent but I know they are desperate for funds for infield workers and rangers (we had to walk on foot to find & approach them), they get very stressed just watching even a jeep in distance.
It is just disheartening to see this.
What good would it do to display a dead endangered animal's body parts?
13
What a repulsive pig!
27
What it is with sociopaths and their collecting of trophies from their victims? Human or non human, killing an innocent, powerless being is nothing but cold blooded murder. America is complicate if it allows trophies of this sad and heartless murder into the country.
38
@Una
I hadn't thought of that comparison, but it's spot on.
7
What a despicable human being. Wonder what complex he is trying to compensate for.
31
This hunter and story are not flattering to Michigan. A better way to have begun the story would have been . . . .
Some lame brain trophy hunter who paid $400,000 to kill a rare black rhinoceros in Africa in 2018 is seeking a federal permit to allow him to import its skin, skull and horns to the United States, according to government records . . . .
and leave Michigan out of it.
9
Let us see - the hunter, Mr. Peyerk, is probably also pro-life, i.e. thinks that men have the ultimate say over a woman's reproductive rights, an evangelical, rabid Trump supporter, probably supports the white supremacy movement and likely believes that the best way to stop the proliferation of guns is to arm everybody including students and the teacher
The deplorables all fit a template.
As for killing a Rhino for trophy hunting regardless of whether it is deemed legal or illegal - Deplorable.
33
Barbaric. I don't understand how someone finds joy in the killing of an animal.
22
@Jeanne
Agreed. And I hope you are vegan otherwise you consume what is tortured and killed.
2
@Left Coast there is a difference between hunting for ego and hunting for sustenance.
and there is a difference between going to the big box store for packaged meat vs shooting a deer, and preparing the meat to be kept in a freezer all year long to feed a family.
the cow that turned into your cheap hamburger meat was treated like garbage in a factory farm, vs the deer lived its best life until it had a bad day.
one can call out factory farming, and trophy hunting, without being vegan, or even vegetarian.
your holier than thou attitude is pathetic and pointless.
sincerely, a vegetarian of 26 years and counting.
12
$400,000k is a lot of money that can help local conservation efforts. 5 Bulls a year is not a lot of bulls, and if each brings in $400k that's $2 million for rhino conservation.
I see nothing wrong with this.
4
@Jacqueline Most of that money does NOT go to conservation. It goes to politicians and bureaucrats. IE - graft.
18
@Jacqueline
And then there were none. All the wild beautiful animals will disappear if we keep rationalizing the slaughter. Do you really think all that money goes to conservation? You are either naive or deliberately obtuse.
14
I reminds me of what JFK said after he was forced to go deer hunting with Lyndon Johnson: it only would have been fair if the deer had had a gun.
27
This killing being legal does not make it right.
23
Can we ship this man unarmed, back to where the Rhinoceros was killed? Let’s see how well he does.
32
The slaughter was a sin. So is seeking to bring the parts into the country. Another one of Trump's assaults on animals.
27
While it appears this guy followed the rules, trophy hunting is still nauseating.
21
How does anyone get pleasure out of killing a defenseless animal minding its own business? What kind of a person does this? If he wanted a trophy, he should have fought with the rhino without any weapons. What a brute and a coward!
55
If this bull rhino was a danger to the rest of the rhinos why couldn't it have been trapped and transported to a zoo or another preserve or sanctuary ?
32
Too costly! /s
2
Well, this guy is pathetic, now that he’s been written up in NYT the Twitter mobs are gonna be after him, and for once the recipient of the outrage totally deserves what’s coming to him.
45
Hunters think they’re conservationist, yet they always go against conservation and the real conservationists.
28
It doesn't matter if it was legal. It doesn't matter if it helps the species. It doesn't matter what the money is used for. What matters is that the man enjoys killing. For that alone he should be condemned.
53
@David -- Rich people feel they have the right to ruin everything for their own jollies.
22
Jack O'Connor, gun editor of Outdoor Life in the 50's, wrote an article about hunting Dall sheep in the Yukon. To get there to the hunting take-off point they rode horses for 8 hours per day for 6 days. They spent 10 days hunting and then rode back out--a total of 22 days. Now contrast this with a Wall St tycoon who had a guide follow a trophy ram all summer then when it got close to a lake where a float plane could land, he flew out in his private jet, changed to a float plane, shot the ram and was back in NY for a total of 3 days-most in a plane
What a contrast and what has happened to hunting.
13
@malencid. Technically, that isn't hunting, that is shooting.
14
Instead of killing a defenseless, endangered animal, coward, just donate the money for its preservation. This is why this planet will simply not survive at the hands of homo sapiens. We are inept guardians of the ecosystem, gutting and destroying the only planet we have.
69
Simply unforgivable.
24
I have conflicting feelings about this. On one hand, he was paying an outrageous amount of money to engage in an activity that nearly anyone else could not afford. He legally killed one of the most endangered animas on the planet, whilst providing funding for the continued conservation of the same animal. It seems strange to think about it that way.
On the other hand, I believe that he should not be allowed to keep the skull skin and horn to show off his wealth and opportunity. Instead, I believe that it would be beneficial to donate them to an institution that would use them for education purposes. Since the animals are critically endangered, how many of our children or grandchildren may one day get the chance to see these majestic animals? Will we get to the point when rhinos are the new dinosaur? "You're so old, you were alive when there were black rhino around."
Let him import it with the sole condition that it be donated and used for education.
7
Thanks NYT for this article.
Now that the word is out I’m guessing this is not going to be such a great “trophy on the wall”
14
Just a heart-sickening travesty. (Remember, cowardly little man, the mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine.)
41
Outrageous- but of course conman trump little boy enjoys killing endangered animals as well.
I say killing because I grew up in a hunting family and this is not hunting - these are nothing more than drive by shootings.
A coward, killing a defenseless animal.
48
Hideous.
And for what?
So the remains of this rare and majestic creature gather dust on your wall somewhere, and down the line, some child or grandchild says, 'no thanks, this is too sad and too weird.'
So you have 'bragging rights?'
What turns some people on is just ... inexplicable.
39
Are there really men who feel so empty they have the need to kill a beautiful animal in order to feel like they accomplished something? I understand hunters hunting for food or for safety in regions it is necessary, but I will never understand the human depravity it takes to participate in "trophy" hunting.
54
This man is a disgrace. With his wealth he could be lending a helping hand to someone in need or donating to help children facing life threatening illness. Instead he spends $400,000 to kill an endangered animal. There is NO justification for this atrocity.
61
I have an idiot brother who takes his son and daughter out wild boar hunting every year. (They are now in their mid-twenties.) Then he mounts the pigs’ stuffed heads over his fireplace. Totally and completely dusguzting!
24
@Banjokatt. The wild boar in this country are an evasive species and most are actually feral hogs. They do massive damage to farm fields, crops and domestic farm animals. While on maneuvers in Germany in the 70s I witnessed. the goring of a soldier when he awoke to a boar in his tent. The boar opened the soldier's leg from knee to crotch with it's tusk and the attack only subsided when a Lieutenant put the animal down.
7
@Patrick
Humans are the evasive species. They do massive damage...to everything else alive.
11
@Fish Tate. Especially in San Francisco. Thanks
He's not a hunter.
21
A non-profit group dedicated to protecting trophy hunting....That does not seem like a cause for a non-profit but is perfectly legal.
9
This is appalling. No, he should not be allowed to import the body parts of this poor animal. For what? So he can endlessly relive the glorious moment when he shot one the last of these magnificent creatures and sent it crashing into the dust? How are we to explain this insanity to future generations? If the poor creature was bothering the other males then move it somewhere else!
34
There, unfortunately, seems to be no shortage of people ( most often men) who simply cannot stand the sight of anything that is wild or beautiful or free.
44
Barbarian. Is this 1880?
22
@Simon -- No, but the US is headed in that direction under its current political leadership.
10
Interesting to hear that a guy who can afford to pay $400,000 dollars to kill an endangered rhino can get a free top attorney to assist him.
Only in America do the elite class have a right to a free attorney.
35
So no one contests that the Rhino was a nuisance keeping young males from the breeding essential to survival of the species.
No one challenges the motives of the Namibian government in culling the bull.
No one disputes that the meat went to feed poor locals.
Why is this a story?
3
@Philboyd
Because, Philboyd, this is offensive to animal lovers, disturbing to those worried about sport hunters decimating rare animals, because people are disgusted by the indulgences of the wealthy and beacause you don't even seem to question what else could have been done by the Namibian government (who probably pocketed the money) and the wealthy American hero who shot it to otherwise help to save the animal/feed the people/save the breed...
23
Had you read the article in it’s entirety, all the things you listed WERE disputed. What? Money hungry politicians lie?? Bogus Conservation .org lie? Status hungry millionaires lie? Please.
12
@signmeup I don't question those things because nobody -- not even the clearly sympathetic to banning all trophy hunting New York Times or the anti-hunting activists quoted -- suggests any malfeasance by the Namibians or any possible solution to a rogue Rhino as effective as having an experienced hunter kill it, pay an enormous fee for doing so that may well have done some good for a poor country, and distribute the meat. And no, as someone who has lived a robust life, much of it out in the wild, I'm not shedding tears for the culling of a bull that was hurting conservation efforts. I outgrew Bambi-level innocence many years ago.
3
"Mr. Peyerk paid a Namibian wildlife conservation organization for the opportunity to shoot and kill a black rhino bull in....National Park in Namibia. The 29-year-old rhino was interfering with breeding by younger bulls and harming population growth, according to documents from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism."
I spent a year working as a volunteer in Namibia to protect the Black Rhino (and Cheetah). The man from Michigan who shot the rhino is rightly flogged in these comments for spending nearly half a million $'s to assuage his ego and shoot an endangered species (for the same money he could have restored eyesight to 1350 blind children with a simple operation).
There was no need to "cull" any animals from overpopulation - Namibia is very sparsely population and most of the country is remote and ideal habitat for the black rhino. This is not hunting. And the only part I can understand is the desire to see these amazing animals up close. To touch their tough skin and look at their pre-historic uniqueness. But equally culpable is the Namibian government that permits this "harvest" and the ruse to justify it in the name of conservation. Since when in Darwinian law does an older more powerful bull "interfere" with population growth by beating back breeding by younger bulls?
Too many humans operate from such a selfish, emotionally immature perspective. Shameful.
65
He paid $400,000.00 to kill an endangered animal. Couldn't he find something better to do with that money? This man is emblematic of the sickness that pervades our society, starting at the White House. Time to boycott his business, Dan’s Excavating Inc.! Hit him where it hurts.
44
Let him have his rhinoceros pieces, if that’s what he wants.
I’m just picturing having to sit at every barbecue and family gathering with this guy listening to his Great White Hunter story again and again.
I want a divorce.
14
As disgusting as I find this "sport" if this is true:
The 29-year-old rhino was interfering with breeding by younger bulls and harming population growth, according to documents from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
Then control was needed.
A grouchy old rhino looking to stake his territory and dominate women.
Just like the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania.
Hhmmm ... should we auction a permit for that?
11
@John Hanzel It's a good thought. But, there's many other options to "control." Lots of space in Africa. Now there's 5499 left...
8
I doubt that is the natural way I am sure it’s the $400,000. Way. Let’s see we can always say he was old and a troublemaker, and bothering the younger generation. Yeah they will swallow that. Look at just what they put up with in their country.
6
I have very mixed feelings about this story. First and foremost, I am a huge defender of nature and wildlife and have donated to many conservation organizations over the decades. I feel strongly that the best wildlife "management" is as little interference as possible. I personally could never kill an animal unless I was starving (yes, I do eat a small amount of animal products).
As others have commented, the biggest threat to wildlife is human overpopulation and reduced habitat. Ideally, humans would stop all new development and redevelop only on existing hardscapes. Realistically, that is probably not going to happen.
But I also see this as an issue of national sovereignty. If the Namibians have decided this is the best way to protect the black rhino population, then I respect that. I know there is a lot of corruption in government -- look no further than 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.! And Americans do not have much moral high ground to stand on when it comes to protecting our natural resources. Seen a passenger pigeon lately? And only 5% of old-growth redwoods remaining.
18
@Miss Dovey Since when did the fact that a government was sovereign over an area make their actions okay? And I'm perfectly comfortable criticizing both US conservation failures and this.
8
We used to categorize people as animals or animal like. In this day and age what a ridiculous thing. Animals hunt and kill out of necessity, to survive, protect their young. All justifiable reasons. And man’s? Ego, power?
If you don’t go one on one with no weapons, and only for lack of food, you will never have a legitimate reason.
14
"Neither Mr. Peyerk nor Mr. Jackson responded to phone calls and emails seeking comment on Sunday."
So the big men can advocate for killing animals but when asked to explain themselves they go cowardly.
The lowest of the low.
59
This leaves me breathless. This destruction and murder of animals, especially endangered species, must be outlawed. It should be illegal. Those who engage in such disgusting behavior and those who encourage it (for some reason related to their diminished souls), need to be punished in a very public way.
27
I will NEVER understand why men enjoy killing animals for “sport”. May his “man-parts” developed a horrible rot and fall off.
31
He's just trying to prove what a 'manly man' he is.
2
What Goes Around-Comes Around--Paying to Slay Innocence--This Man Will Not Escape Karma
23
All non-vegetarians should recuse themselves from judging another animal killer - just sayin'
2
I’m vegan. But i disagree on the most basic of sand box rules: 2 wrongs don’t make a right.
6
Cows: we breed them to eat them. There is no shortage of them.
Rhinos: the guy went all the way to kill a member of an endangered species for fun.
There is a big difference.
8
The cows probably wouldn’t agree.
4
Worst are the smiling pictures those hunters post posing next to beautiful exotic DEAD animals. It’s nauseating.
42
This absolutely sickens me!
20
Mr. Peyerk, please find in your heart to donate that money to the WWF.
9
Not forgetting the amoral and repulsive ' Chris D. Peyerk of Shelby Township, Mich'
Nope, not never.
18
Utterly sickening! Just when you think "human" beings couldn't possibly get any more depraved in their utterly pointless, willful destructiveness...
According to the "eye for an eye" punishment the Bible presents, Peyerk deserves the same treatment he has given to the rhino. (And I'm definitely NOT literally suggesting that or intending for anyone to do such a sickening thing.) It's just hard to imagine someone committing this sort of outrage against nature with impunity.
And almost as depraved is the idea of "a Louisiana lawyer who provides free legal help to trophy hunters". How can anyone like that look themselves in the mirror?
18
How blithely the reporter lists the 'official' justifications condoning for murder this magnificent and unique creature.
Call me a skeptic, but I seriously doubt them all.
Corruption and naked greed disguised as conservation.
Call me disgusted!
44
Little men have to make themselves feel important by killing things. Sad, sad, sad.
77
This is easily the most disgusting story of the day, about those individuals who only find gratification in killing something rare.
53
How do we part Mr. Peyjerk from his guns ? That is, all the Mr. Peyjerks out there?
If a man has no respect for animals, he has no respect for humans, including himself...
35
When asked what he thought was the most frightening line in film history, screenwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy, The Princess Bride) replied:
Man has entered the forest.
From Bambi.
39
Paying $400k to slay an endangered animals is, to put is simply... insane. Killing this rhino did not require hunting skills, understanding of wildlife, appreciation of give-and-take of hunting. All it took was a guy with a powerful rifle and scope, and vanity.
55
When you stand there with a high powered rifle and pull your finger back that’s hunting? You feel proud? I call that murder. It’s like everything else in our society if you have the money they will make up an excuse for slaughter. Sick people. No one is swallowing your convoluted reasoning. So when it’s his time to go does the same rules apply?
15
It strikes me as some weird, vestigial, caveman behavior. How could you actually see something like that, in real life, and want to kill it?
36
What genetic perversion gives someone a primal (probably erotic) thrill when they kill an animal? How different is the trophy hunter from the serial killer who started out torturing kittens? Larger bank account?
33
While this latest sick animal killing is discussed, don't forget about the killer of Cecil the Lion, Dentist Walter Palmer.
Send him your thoughts and prayers.
48
@Baba
I was thinking the same thing, too.
7
This may very well be all legal, but what a sick, twisted man. Spending $400,000 to kill a living being? I bet he burned ants with a magnifying glass when he was a boy.
44
I don't get it. Mounting a animal on your wall for bragging rights? Go face that Rhino with your bare hands then you get bragging rights.
43
@frank monaco
Many of us would be willing to pay to see that spectacle.
14
As a wildlife conservation advocate, I have to agree with President Trump on this: trophy hunting is a “horror show.”
And he should know. His sons display some of the worst examples of this kind of behavior, showing off with their collection of heads, horns, skins, and even the tails of animals.
This is not hunting for food or even sport. This is killing for the sheer joy of having more power over a wild animal, and taking parts of that animal home to show how manly you are to your friends.
48
Maybe a trophy hunter does actually benefit the environment. And maybe a serial killer helps enrich the selection of true crime documentaries that we can watch on Netflix.
I'm not going to nominate either for sainthood though.
8
OH, he's SUCH a great, brave Hunter.... A Rhino at a distance.
The Rhino is nowhere as dangerous as a Hippopotamus. But it LOOKS dangerous. Ungainly as it is, the hippopotamus is the world's deadliest large land mammal, killing an estimated 500 people per year in Africa. Hippos are aggressive creatures, and they have very sharp teeth. See the Wikipedia or BBC numbers.
2
If ‘sport’ were the purpose, shouldn’t he have done the deed up close and personal with a spear? Give the creature a fair chance!
13
I don’t care what anyone says about this type of hunting it is flat out wrong on a number of levels. Why would anyone want to deprive such a magnificent animal an opportunity to live is beyond comprehension? It is times like these that I absolutely despise my fellow human beings.
23
$400,000.00, just for the vanity of saying, "Look what a big thing I shot!"?
Fitzgerald was right. The rich really are different than you and me.
17
Paying to kill rare animals should be outlawed & the person labeled a criminal. They are rare for a reason...there are few of them left. US is complicit in killing off species that will never come back.
25
How insecure, in doubt of your manhood, and apparently small handed one must be to kill a helpless animal with high powered technology. Where is the disconnect, the utter lack of distinction between hunting and slaughtering animals herded into glorified pens, for the shooting. Between hunting and slaughtering, and what kind of mind prefers the slaughter?
This is the act of the feeble, the timid and the repressed!
15
Heartbreaking! I bet that Donald Jr. snd Eric had something to do with this decision.
12
This strikes me as akin to murdering someone and then proposing that the body be donated to science for study.
If this "hunter" is so eager to be a good guy after killing a rhino, why not just forego the killing and donate the cost of the hunt to a conservation cause?
19
Does the current theory about mass shooters' mental illness also apply to trophy hunters?
Just wondering.
15
I knew Safari Club Int'l had to be involved with this scam. I've had the displeasure of working for a member of this phony "club". The chairman of the local chapter use to come in and those 2 would trade disgusting stories and laugh about their green-washing scams, claiming they saved endangered species and fed the local peasants. They were into wildlife killing contests, one of which advertised a trip to Argentina for a chance to kill over 1,000 dove. There was a pic of some rich nimrod and a mountain of dead birds used to promote it.
I also knew Trump would allow Peyerk to import the Rhino's body parts, being that his lame off-spring are into trophy "hunting". Whereas Donnie is just into trophy wives.
Vote him out!
31
Allowing trophy hunters with addled sensibilities, too much money & time on their hands, to take out endangered animals only provides the poachers a valid reason to break laws that reward privilege. Get real about protecting these animals. Any culling should be done by the government.
8
Shame on the Michigan man who loves killing. And more shame on our country to permit entry to the remains of this beautiful creature-empty of his wildness and beauty.
Hunting for food is one thing, hunting to decorate rooms speak to soulless vanity & vacancy.
21
This is emblematic of all that is rotten in this country, and the world. That someone used $400,000 to kill an endangered animal -- or any animal, for that matter -- for pleasure, or to prove he's a big man, or whatever, when people are dying because they can't afford insulin, or other meds, or health care, or food, or a roof over their heads. It is simply obscene that there are people like this who exist among us. Not surprising. Not news. Just obscene.
22
Guys like Chris Peyerk and Walter Palmer, the killer of Cecil the Lion, should go full macho in their lust to kill animals.
They should go after their targets without weapons, only their bare hands.
These attempts could be filmed and sold on line. I guarantee you the footage would raise much more than $400,000 for conservation.
18
It really demonstrates some sort of neurological/emotional problem that someone's idea of "fun" is to spend nearly half a million dollars and fly halfway across the world to kill something. But its the "sport" of course, right? Some sport when only one team knows there is a game going on.
22
Thank you, NYT, for naming the "hunter" who finds joy in killing critically endangered species. May his life be miserable from this day forward.
31
What is it with these rich men (and they're almost always men)? It's not enough to dominate women, youth and the land? How bored do you have to be to find it exciting to kill large animals and make trophies of their body parts? Time for some progresive taxation. Our bridges and roads are falling apart. Sheesh!
10
I truly understand the thrill of seeing a magnificent animal as this in person. What I cannot understand is the desire to kill it, mainly for bragging rights. It’s deplorable.
15
I'm not a hunter but have worked in conservation in many countries in Africa for 30 years. Plenty of scientific analysis provides evidence that trophy hunting provides net conservation benefits. It can have direct conservation benefits for some species – the case of this rhino in Namibia bears this out - by removing old, post-reproductive males allowing younger ones to breed. More importantly, it generates conservation benefits way beyond the target species. In particular, vast tracts of lands, often exceeding the amount set aside in National Parks, are set aside for conservation because hunting revenue makes it viable to do so. This benefits all species that rely on that land.
Revenue that trophy hunting generates helps finance state conservation agencies, pay for anti-poaching patrols, provides jobs and income for local people and helps reduce human wildlife conflict and as a consequence reduces retaliatory killing of wildlife and improves animal welfare. The $400,000 generated will pay for a lot of conservation.
Whilst hunting may be repugnant to many in the western hemisphere, it's a proven conservation tool that helps secure survival of the worlds biodiversity and enhance livelihoods of some of its most marginalized communities. In an age when wildlife is being lost at an unprecedented rate and millions of people struggle to survive, those condemning hunting on ideological grounds should consider whether they really want to add to these problems?
11
@Liz Rihoy Stop and think about this for a bit. The closest model that I would associate with it is kidnapping for a ransom. In other words, if you let me kill some trophies, I will throw some coins to you to help you try to protect the remaining live animals after I have satisfied my lust.
12
@Liz Rihoy
Because you keep insisting that the solution to problems caused by human intrusion and exploitation are solved by money. MONEY is the problem!
Whatever conservation that is performed and "paid for" should happen. Period.
Stop defending market economics and start defending the planet and its residents.
9
@Liz Rihoy
I am sure the revenue will do a lot of good, but the fact is that only a small man with a sick mind would spend ANY money at all for a license to kill a magnificent beast. If this mas wants to shroud his blood thirsty nature in the benevolence of giving to conservation, so be it, but I'd like to know how much he has given to conservation causes without any killing involved.
13
Even if allowing this man to hunt this rhino was necessary to ensure the survival of the herd and therefore helped conserve the species, allowing the man to import the trophies of his hunt is a different act that has to be weighed against the same standard. There is no shortage of rich people who want to shoot things, so the survival of the species doesn't require trophies as an incentive for hunters on those rare occasions when a herd needs culling.
6
Some of the critical questions left unasked in this well written piece are:
Is trophy hunting a driver of poaching? In Namibia, or elsewhere?
What does Namibia do with the funds raised? Will they contribute to Black rhino/other species conservation?
Do ultra-high end trophy hunts stimulate government corruption? If so, does that form of corruption negatively impact wildlife conservation?
These are just a handful of the many questions that the conservation and animal welfare communities often ask, as well as government regulatory agencies.
The differences of opinions in the West pro/con on hunting will never disappear. But the value of this very specific, unusual type of trophy hunting is best considered in isolation, principally because there is no emperical evidence suggesting that it increases or decreases poaching levels. All the arguments for and against are largely theoretical.
The staff level officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generally do a good job weighing pros and cons when evaluating such high value trophy hunting import permit applications. It's the NGOs on both sides of the fence which make these situations so venomous.
I love that they printed his name. What that could accomplish remains to be seen, if anything at all comes of it. I just like the exposure.
12
Why bring back the parts? Have them mounted. Donate to a "museum". Conclude the value of the gift includes the cost of the trip , including travel and license fees. Write it all off as a tax deductible donation.
2
How about bury this animal with dignity in his homeland. Now who are the animals?
4
If there is an animal heaven, which is as reasonable to imagine as the other kind, then I hope there’s a huge trophy room, adorned with human heads numbering in the millions.
12
Imagine if he would want to “heal” the planet by promoting animals with enough land to thrive.
Conquer and dominate hope he can sleep at night.
He could of given the 1/2 million and thrives on goodness.
So sad.
4
Rather than respond to some "experts" who consider the rest of us "unwashed" because our corporate sponsored lack of education does not put us in the same view - that you can buy your way out of destructive behavior - I provide three quotes from Aldo Leopold as comment:
The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?
Civilization has so cluttered this elemental man-earth relationship with gadgets and middlemen that awareness of it is growing dim. We fancy that industry supports us, forgetting what supports industry.
Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers.
2
If my brief research into the Peyerk family’s recent history is to be believed, the whole crew (including his pistol packin’ mama) gets off on murdering protected species; and while there may be some beneficent pretext for this particular killing, family members have been assessed substantial fines in the past for illegal hunting.
Given Peyerk’s willingness and ability to shell out $400,000 for the right to shoot a rhino (which he no doubt will parlay into a tax deduction for ‘charitable contributions’), I doubt fines are much of a deterrent. In this distorted view of the world, paying to slay is more of a welcome badge of honor and a convenient way to flaunt one’s wealth.
15
Sustenance hunting of sustainable species: morally acceptable
Trophy hunting of endangered animals: psychotic
It’s not supposed to be “fun” to kill things. People who do enjoy taking life for the simple act of taking life, then taking trophies so that they can remember how much fun it was slaughtering something, are severely disturbed individuals.
11
I hope the next president in an executive actions demands he get rid if this moral abomination. If only Rhino''s could trophy hunt him for their collection. If a Rhino kills a human the remains are sent home. Any excess Rhinos should be used to repopulate the species in former regions not sold to the highest bidder. If trophy hunting s allowed it should be dine with a wooden spear and naked not with a high power rifle. There is no sportsmanship in using modern equipment and next to no skill.
3
Remember the sci-fi Predator movies where alien warriors come to earth seeking human trophys?
Despite all the hyperbole regarding the benefits of "regulated hunting", a part of me just can't help wishing those same alien hunters would pay a visit to Messrs. Chris D. Peyerk and John J. Jackson III, the Louisiana lawyer who provides free legal help to trophy hunters.
It might help cull our species for the better.
13
Human beings. The only species on the planet that routinely kills other animals for personal pleasure. The only bright side I can find in this story is that, for one, it got media coverage, and two, that more people are vocal in their disgust than ever before. Ten years ago a story like this, or the story of the killing of Cecil the lion, would not have merited attention from a major media outlet. Times are changing. I only hope the animals can hang on until my species finally grows up and comes to its senses.
9
@mary — house cats roaming outside kill for pleasure, so it’s not just us. I’ve seen the corpses of many lovely birds dumped on our stoop in the wilds of Park Slope.
1
But remember, kids: when it is the USA doing it, it's only an expression of Freedom. It's only when the Chinese are doing it that it is bad.
4
Trophy hunting is a complicated issue to say the least. There are a lot of public benefits that are not discussed. But, as someone who is attempting to learn how to hunt later in a life as a means of providing nourishment to my family and as a means of promoting the conservation and use of America's wild spaces, I find it baffling that someone would spend $400k to do this. Then again, I'm also left befuddled by people who purchase luxury automobiles, which in my opinion is an act just as deserving of moral scorn as trophy hunting.
6
@No Thanks
No, trophy hunting is not a complicated issue.
Killing big game animals like this is sick and gives some twisted gun fetishists a sick thrill.
15
Really? Buying a luxury auto (let’s say it’s a Tesla, for good measure, so electric) is as worthy of scorn as killing an animal for trophy purposes? Me thinks your soul took leave of your body quite some time ago.
7
@Emme Why not? You don't think there's harm involved in mining the rare earth metals used to build the batteries for a Tesla? You don't think such acts result in more animal deaths through habitat loss? What about the lose of species resulting from isolation due to highway construction and habitat fragmentation. Don't lose sight of the forest for the tree.
1
I continue to think how much could have been achieved with his 400K. If the permit is granted, then the US is complicit in slaughter. When do we take a stand to save our natural resources worldwide?
148
@JMMoore
The problem I have with organizations like PETA is that they equate the ethical treatment of animals with the way people are treated. Who attends funerals for animals that are not either Homo Sapiens or companions of them? The answer is no one. It is important that people are able to differentiate between wild animals and domestic animals. Domestic animals should be treated with a different type of respect from wild animals. I honor hunters as I have cousins that duck hunt and fish. I am fascinated with the way we manage the animal populations around the world and believe it to be important that anyone concerned about population control do their research before attacking those who care for the environment. I don’t equate trophy hunters with poachers as hunters are ethical and poachers are not. Hunters will make the shots that put the animals out of their misery the quickest, pay attention to regulations, and use as much of every animal they shoot that they can. Poachers will perform unethical acts such as shining a light in the eyes of animals to temporarily immobilize them in the dark and shoot them as well as all sorts of other immoral and unlawful things. I think that trophy hunters appreciate the world God gave us to serve him. I think that trophy hunters see trophies for the stories they bring of the times they go out into nature and breath a deep breath of fresh air before going on a journey to interact with the wild and ethically connect with the environment.
1
Oh my! What an opinion. I bet all those wealthy, attention seeking, killers have the great scheme of Gods plan for his creatures as the shoot from how far away and mount them on their walls. I can just hear their prayers to god as they brag to anyone who is unlucky enough to put up with them.
2
@Timothy Horne —so trophy hunters are doing God’s work? Breathe deep, ethically connect, then feel free to BLAST AWAY? Which god is this again? Mammon? Moloch?
4
There is nothing acceptable about trophy hunting, zero.
155
The idea that killing healthy specimens of rare and endangered animal species constitutes "good wildlife management" is entirely spurious. He's just a trophy hunter, plain and simple. The governments that sell "rights" to do this are corrupted by their blood money, and individuals who engage in it are morally bankrupt. If he really cared, he could just donate the money to their wildlife fund and import some food for the local population. Allowing the parts of the animal in as trophies is disgusting. But---Its about what we all expect from what passes for government decision-making in the agencies of the US today. It all comes down to how much people are willing to delude themselves about their actions.
265
@PeterS
It is sickening and pathetic, period plane and simple. I couldn't agree with you more! The greed around the world is what it all boils down too, that and how big one's ego is.
12
@PeterS Just goes to show a "Times Pick" article commenter doesn't even need to read or understand what their journalist actually wrote to make an off base observation about govt decision making?
Either your reading comprehension is poor or you did not read the article so I will just include quotes text from the article.
"Mr. Peyerk paid a Namibian wildlife conservation organization for the opportunity to shoot and kill a black rhino bull in May 2018 in Mangetti National Park in Namibia. The 29-year-old rhino was interfering with breeding by younger bulls and harming population growth, according to documents from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
Mr. Peyerk’s payment was to be earmarked for rhino conservation and the rhino’s meat was distributed to rural communities surrounding the park, the ministry said."
Gasp. Healthy specimen? Hardly. A quick google search shows that the bull was nearing the end of his life expectancy and interfering with successful breeding of the herd.
Is there a certain age it becomes harder as a human to have babies, or to you farmers/ranchers, who wants an old bull to mate and grow their herd? If I want to breed anything I want healthy mates especially growing an endangered species.
Further, he paid a wildlife conservation fund in Nambia $400,000. Money that could be used to help defend against poaching, etc. Donated the meat to the surrounding communities.
He fed people. What have you done besides sit here and judge?
8
@JakeW If the rhino was nearing the end of its life, let it die naturally. If Peyerk's prime interest was in the animal, he could just donate the money to preservation. His main interest was in a trophy, so he paid a bribe to be able to kill one, then instructed them to shut the door behind him.
At some point, you need to have principles about rich Americans walking around tossing gold coins......
30
I just love when the animal murderers try to paint themselves as wildlife conservationists, as though, after a few million years, animal species are now dependent on humans to decide who should live and who should die. How utterly laughable. There's only one thing that will help with wildlife 'conservation' and that's less humans encroaching on, exploiting and ruining their terrain. Mr. Peyerk only motive was to get off on murdering an exotic animal and feeling like a bigger man than he is.
158
@BambooBlue
Mr. Peyerk's intent may well have been to feel like a bigger man, but it really is the opposite:
An extremely unfortunate way to advertise insecurity and impotence.
18
"Mr. Peyerk was represented by John J. Jackson III, a Louisiana lawyer who provides free legal help to trophy hunters..."
Free legal help to a guy who paid $400,000 dollars to shoot an endangered animal? So he could have dead Rhino parts on his wall? Because why? It's early Monday morning and I' already baffled by the contortions of human behavior.
215
@C. Whiting
You misunderstand Jackson's role. He isn't defending the hunter, he's the lawyer who enabled the hunter to hunt, cleared the red tape. It's what Mr Jackson does for his organization that kills exotic animals.
1
I have a better idea. Don't let Mr. Peyerk back into our country either. We don't want him here.
210
This is not the only beautiful animal this man and his family have killed. Leopards and grizzly bear are also on their list, some of them killed illegally. Clearly the intent is not "conservation".
This is a very sick family.
149
Of course. Trump lets his rich buddies do anything they want. What an abomination and disgraceful thing to ever allow.
67
Nice work. Must have taken a lot of huntin' skills to put down a 29 year old.
66
He couldn't find one on Ebay?
15
This is sick and pathetic. Of all the useful things a person could do with their wealth, this guy chooses to kill innocent animals.
234
@NP
Clearly you should read the whole article especially the part that discusses that culling this animal was both legal and a good thing for the herd.
6
@James First, just because it's legal, doesn't make it right. Secondly, this particular rhino could have been moved to another herd or conservation area. With only 5 thousand left, that makes more sense. Killing any rhino, let alone a black one is insanity. We are in a crisis of losing species and have to change human behavior, become conscious of other sentient beings and our place in this worlds as stewards, not killers.
20
@James Good for the herd according to whom exactly? The people who were looking for the $400,000? How could you fail to see this?
15
I once went to a conservation lecture at the Museum of Natural History where a field worker passed around a rhino horn. He told us how much it was worth on the black market.
I realized I was holding a horn that was worth more than its weight in gold.
If Peyerk can manage to sell the horn legally (or otherwise) in China, it will be worth more than $400,000.
34
If the purpose of the hunt was truly to help the rhino then glorifying the carcass as a trophy is counter productive. However, if the gentleman would consider using the items collected to educate children about endangered rhinos, perhaps in a natural history museum, then there may be some good purpose beyond just hanging the carcass as a trophy in his home.
26
“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,” according to Laury Parramore of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2019, this is nonsense, especially for species such as rhinos. The only species for which culling by hunters might make sense in the US is deer when they exist in numbers that unbalance the ecosystem and cause car accidents through their crepuscular ubiquity.
I despise this administration for its love of cruelty and desire to dominate and destroy.
177
@C Wolfe Totally agree your comments and want to thank you for a new word I'd never heard: crepuscular.
Delightful!
One wonders why this old bull could not be relocated to a different area?
25
@Bob
i wouldn't take the word of anyone involved in these kinds of hunts, it's likely artificial justification to meet the paperwork requirements. natural selection in mammals depends on those that are fittest passing on their genes. that will change with artificial culling.
43
@C Wolfe
I agree with your analysis. I would also suggest culling invasive species that are destroying local wildlife, especially feral cats. And owners should be mad to bell their cats.
4
Conservation biology demands the needs of the animal POPULATION are balanced with mans. First day of wildlife conservation biology class at university they ask "could you personally kill a panda if it meant benefits for the species?" If you answer no, your in the wrong business, and were asked to consider another course. Wildlife conservation that is focused on a single animal is NOT conservation. Wildlife conservation is focused at the species population level. The death of this one animal can do a lot for the remaining population. That is conservation biology at its core. Sorry, but that long dead stuffed rhino at the muesam does more for conservation than any self righteous bleeding heart human...
24
@Mark P If it is true that the individual rhino was preventing breeding by younger, more vigorous males, then the wildlife agency should have killed the individual animal, rather than allowing a trophy hunter to feed his fragile little ego. Yes, the big payment would be useful to conservation, assuming there is no corruption involved, but promoting African trophy hunting will assure that many species struggle for survival in the future.
36
@Mark P: I don't get the argument. The old rhino had "old genes"? It's DNA is no longer what it used to be?
3
@Mark P
Does human culling do the same as what happens in nature? Dies this adversely impact the ecosystem?
It’s vital to do what can be done for conservation, but in a human population I can’t necessarily agree with “culling” a given human. That applies to animals for me as well. They’re matter on the macro level as a species and as one part of an ecosystem. However, they matter at an individual level as well.
I think this is a level of arrogance. Assuming we understand the complex social roles and interactions in a herd is limiting our ability to learn. Think about a wolf pack. We had a limited understanding of the roles of each wolf. There’s not an “alpha” male wolf. There’s a pair that are the leaders. But, every wolf plays a role. Lower ranking wolves can be a sort of emotional support within the group. Packs that have lost less dominant members have suffered consequences. Think of humans. We’re only one of two species where females live significantly past menopause. If someone just looked at the species level, it could seem that these females were a drain on resources. Life after menopause baffle many. Now we recognize that older women have a role in protection of the species. While mothers must focus on infants and having enough resources for them, “grandmothers” care for the older children, the way our brains function has necessitated a longer childhood and adolescence. Without that group of older women, we may not have evolved as we did.
What role did he play?
2
He paid 400000 to anti poaching cause to shoot a rhino that was deemed to old to breed so the money went to a good cause it will actually help the species in the long run legal hunting infuses vast amounts of money to conservation causes both thru sales of licensing fees and taxes. While you might love the animals they are worthless to the local population unless they can be made valuable they will not survive
11
If he really wanted to help the cause of conservation, could he not have just donated the money without killing the animal?
67
@EAH You make a rational point but I agree with Lorraine: why not just donate the money and help the rhinos and the environment they live in?
4
Who says he couldn’t reproduce? Obviously he was still feeling randy. Males don’t breed until they’re 10-12 years old and they live to be 40-50. He was solidly middle-aged. (Age statistics according to WWF.)
I hope the NYT gives as much bandwidth the next time a lion or elephant mauls a poacher. I love those stories.
9
Homo Sapien, most dangerous species on the planet. Won’t be satisfied until we have conquered and destroyed and slaughtered every thing that walks, crawls, flies, or swims, including our own kind. What kind of thrill do you get when you pull the trigger and bring down an elephant or a rhino. What’s the mentality of a person who would display a skull and horn as a trophy on an office wall. $400,000 sure buys a lot of conservation, if you believe that story. Heart of Darkness for sure.
85
It's very doubtful that killing this rhino or any animal would overcome the bottomless feelings of inadequacy and insecurity at the dark heart of Peyerk's or any of these 'big game hunters' fragile egos. Better to find a good psychiatrist, and seek help than destroying more of Our Planet.
168
I am sure Mr. Peyerk and his company, Dan’s Excavating, will be receiving plenty of vitriol. All of it will be richly deserved. Hunting threatened animals for sport is abhorrent. I sincerely hope MDOT stops contracting with his company. I would prefer my tax dollars not support the company’s president’s morally repugnant acts.
128
@J
As another Michigan resident, looks like my tax dollars helped support this abhorrent person's idea of sport... I hope there is enough outrage that Dan's Excavating is off MDOT's approved list....What kind of sport is to track and kill a predetermined animal ...
55
How’s this sound? “Yesss! I get to kill an endangered rhino for the living room! I’ve sooo been looking forward to this!”
Anyone who kills an animal from a safe distance (high powered rifle with scope, or hey, an assault style weapon!) for sport, is one heck of a macho guy.
Skin, skull, and horns..? He should have to eat it, too.
91
I grew up in a hunting family in the Midwest - this is not hunting - this is nothing more than a drive by shooting.
10
STOP TROPHY HUNTING. For what? The head of an animal in your den? Powdered rhino horn ? Pop a blue pill instead. "Conservation?"
66
Senseless killing of a beautiful animal. I think there are a few homeless and hungry people in our country that would really appreciate some of that money. How backwards can you be?
38
Killing animals for pleasure is something I thought human beings got over but I guess not. When one has money you can do just about anything. Even become POTUS.
56
I don't get the "thrill" of "bagging" a wild animal. I'm sure many other readers don't, either. Find something else to do.
As the saying goes, Democrats eat the fish they catch; Republicans hang theirs on the wall.
48
Murdering endangered animals to feel like a "big man."
Disgusting.
Karma will not be kind.
100
That is so disgusting.
53
Doesn't Mr. Peyerk have anything better to do with his time than kill animals? What kind of person does this? I don't care how "good" it is for the environment, because I'm not sure I believe that argument. What a horrible man.
256
@Joanna-or his $400K plus legal fees. And now he wants to keep the skin and horns as a keepsake. Gross. In every way imaginable
79
@Suzanne — it is suggested elsewhere that he may not want to keep the horn at all but sell it to another country where males even more insecure than him pay top dollar for rhino horn aphrodisiacs.
9