Thousands sign petitions to stop Texas hunter from killing endangered rhino

More than 150,000 people have signed petitions to stop Texas hunter Corey Knowlton from killing and importing an endangered black rhinoceros. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have received 15,000 comments against importing the rhinoceros and 135,000 signatures on a petition requesting the same, the Associated Press reported. less More than 150,000 people have signed petitions to stop Texas hunter Corey Knowlton from killing and importing an endangered black rhinoceros. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have received 15,000 ... more Photo: Fechter, Joshua I, Corey Knowlton/Facebook Photo: Fechter, Joshua I, Corey Knowlton/Facebook Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Thousands sign petitions to stop Texas hunter from killing endangered rhino 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

More than 150,000 people have signed petitions to stop Texas hunter Corey Knowlton from killing and importing an endangered black rhinoceros.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have received 15,000 comments against importing the rhinoceros and 135,000 signatures on a petition requesting the same, the Associated Press reported.

"I'm not sure we've ever received a petition quite like this one before," service spokesman Gavin Shire told the Associated Press.

Knowlton — who has posted photos from his hunts to both his personal and public figure profiles on Facebook — bid $350,000 for the opportunity to kill the rhino, which the Dallas Safari Club has called a fundraising effort to save the species. But, the club said the hunt is postponed until Knowlton can obtain permission from the service to import the rhino

There are 4,848 black rhinos remaining in the world, according to World Wildlife Fund. Roughly 1,800 of those live in Namibia, where the hunt for the one rhino requested by Knowlton would take place.

"Kill it to save it is counterintuitive and flawed logic," Jeff Flocken, the North American regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, told the Assoicated Press. "The fact that some Americans are showing they will pay any price to kill one of the last black rhinos is not going to help the species in the long run but only continue to put a price on its head."

Knowlton has received death threats for his request, according to the Dallas Morning News, and now travels with a security detail.

"I respect the black rhino," Knowlton told CNN. "A lot of people say, 'Do you feel like a bigger man?' or 'Is this a thrill for you?' The thrill is knowing that we are preserving wildlife resources, not for the next generation, but for eons."

jfechter@mysa.com

Twitter: @JFreports