Dallas (CNN) --
Corey Knowlton is on edge sitting inside a Las Vegas hotel room, surrounded by
a private security detail, explaining why he spent $350,000 for the chance to
hunt a black rhinoceros in the southern African nation of Namibia.
"If I sound
emotional, it's because I have people threatening my kids," Knowlton told
CNN. "It's because I have people threatening to kill me right now [that]
I'm having to talk to the FBI and have private security to keep my children
from being skinned alive and shot at."
Knowlton was outed over
social media as the winner of the Dallas Safari Club's auction for a black
rhino hunting permit from the Namibian government last weekend. It didn't take
long for the threats and vitriol to start pouring in.
"You are a
BARBARIAN. People like you need to be the innocent that are hunted,"
posted one woman on Knowlton's Facebook page.
Some sounded even more
sinister. "I find you and I will KILL you," read another threat.
"I have friends who live in the area and will have you in there sights
also," wrote another commenter.
"A hunter afraid of
being hunted?! How do you think the rhino feels idiot?" responded one
woman to Knowlton's fears.
Despite the backlash,
Knowlton has decided to engage the raging debate over how to protect an
endangered species, such as the black rhino, by putting down his own money to
help save the species and raise awareness about wildlife conservation.
"I respect the
black rhino," said Knowlton. "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."
Knowlton, 35, is a
Dallas-based hunting consultant for The Hunting Consortium, an international
guide service. He's also the co-host of a hunting show on The Outdoor Channel
called "Jim Shockey's The Professionals." Knowlton's online biography
says he's hunted more than 120 species on almost every continent.
Hunting has a long been
a passion of his -- Knowlton said he started hunting as a young boy. He said he
grew up poor, but made a good living in oil production.
"I'm a hunter. I
want to experience a black rhino. I want to be there and be a part of it. I
believe in the cycle of life. I don't believe that meat, you know, comes from
the grocery store. I believe that animal died and I respect it," Knowlton
said Thursday night on CNN's "Piers Morgan Live."
He describes himself as
a passionate conservationist and desperately wants to explain to his critics
why hunting one old black rhino can help save critically endangered species
around the world. He knows it's a difficult conversation full of scathing-hot
emotion.
Humane Society: We'll
block his trophy
The Humane Society
opposed the Dallas Safari Club Auction and says it plans to fight Knowlton's
efforts to bring the black rhino trophy into the United States.
If Knowlton does hunt
and kill the black rhino, he'll need a special permit from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to import the animal into the country under the Endangered
Species Act.
Wayne Pacelle, president
and CEO of The Humane Society, wrote in an online blog post that killing one
endangered animal to save the species is an "Orwellian idea" and
worries that it will inspire hunters to pay millions of dollars for the chance
to kill orangutans, elephants or tigers.
"Where will it
end?" wrote Pacelle. "The first rule of protecting the rarest animals
in the world is to protect each living member of that species."
But Knowlton argues
that, in this instance, killing one black rhino will protect the species
throughout Namibia and that this idea is supported by scientists and
conservationists around the world.
Of the world's
approximately 5,000 black rhinos, about 1,700 are in Namibia.
Knowlton says the
Namibian government has identified a handful of black rhinos that can be
hunted. These are animals that are old, no longer capable of breeding and are
considered a dangerous threat to other younger animals.
He said the threat to
the rhino is from its own kind. "One of the other ear-tagged killer rhinos
is going to injure it. And then either lions or hyenas are going to drag it
down. It's going to die [in] a horrible manner, slowly."
So Knowlton argues, why
not let a hunter pay a massive amount of money to take out a threat to the rest
of the species. The Dallas Safari Club says the $350,000 paid by Knowlton will
be donated to the Namibian government's black rhino conservation efforts.
"As much as I would
love them all to live forever, they are going to die," said Knowlton.
"The older males are killing each other, and something has to be done
about it."
Knowlton's supporters:
Science backs him up
Knowlton's supporters
say this conservation strategy is based in smart science. The International Union
for Conservation of Naturesupported the Dallas Safari Club's black
rhino hunting permit auction.
The union says its
mission is to work with governments and conservation groups around the world to
find "practical solutions" to conservation efforts around the world.
It also says
"trophy hunting is a fundamental pillar of Namibia's conservation approach
and instrumental in its success." And that "well-managed recreational
hunting and trophy hunting" have had a positive impact in
"stimulating population increases for rhino."
But other animal rights
organizations have criticized this conservation strategy and argue that the
better focus would be eco-tourism, raising money from people willing to pay to
see endangered animals up close in the wild.
Knowlton says the
intense and controversial publicity leading up to the Dallas Safari Club
auction scared several serious bidders away. Knowlton said going into the
auction there were about 10 serious bidders, but by the time the bidding
started, that number had dwindled to about three.
"It was the most
unfortunate thing. There were people willing to spend $500,000 to a million
dollars," said Knowlton. "After what I'm going through now, I
understand why they decided not to do it."
Knowlton says he does
not yet when he'll schedule his hunting expedition to Namibia. A great deal of
planning and preparation must be done, he said.
Knowlton wants to
preserve the black rhino's hide and then donate the rhino meat to needy
communities in Namibia.
"I speak with my
heart. I'm passionate about this," said Knowlton. "I think with the
money that I contributed, with everything that is at stake and everything there
is to be gained by the world to learn about sustainable use, I think this could
be the greatest experience of my life."
Knowlton says if the
hunt doesn't go perfectly it could also be one of the worst experiences of his
life.
"I don't think it
makes me a bigger man; I actually think, Piers, I think it could make me a dead
man," he told CNN's Morgan.
"This is probably
the most dangerous situation that I'll ever be in outside of walking around
right now with all the people that want to kill me."