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NAIROBI. — International and African conservation organisations last Friday condemned the killing of a black rhino by a rich US man in Namibia, saying it does no good to the protection of endangered animals.

Corey Knowlton raised the anger of conservationists by killing a black rhino after buying a Namibian licence to hunt for an aging black rhino bull.

Namibia’s move to allow commercial hunting of its black rhino population has also ignited fierce debate on the future of on-going efforts to conserve the rhinos around the world, as some Namibian conservationists said the move was necessary to eliminate aging black rhinos that cause disturbance to younger bulls and stop reproduction.

“The purpose of trophy hunting is to hunt to kill animals. The argument that it is an important part of conservation is without merit,” Azzedine Downes, President and CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) President and CEO told Xinhua.

“Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that there are no animals to hunt. I do not think that Namibia’s trophy hunting is conservation, “ Downes said.

Downes said challenges in conservation of the black rhinos around Africa, include the lack of proper information sharing systems amongst the local communities, government agencies and conservation organisations, which is necessary to curb poaching.

“Every individual rhino counts in Namibia,” said Kathleen Garrigan, spokesperson of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).

“It is the responsibility of all rhino range states to limit any activity that result in any unnecessary mortality,” she told Xinhua. The rhino remains one of the world’s most endangered species on the “red list” of the global protection bodies. — Xinhua.