Dallas Group Set to Auction Permit to Hunt Rhino

Hunt the black rhino to save the black rhino.

That's the Dallas Safari Club's approach to a fundraiser for efforts to protect the endangered species.

The group hopes to raise more than $200,000 Saturday by auctioning off the right to shoot and kill a black rhinoceros in the African nation of Namibia.

The auction has drawn howls from environmental protection groups and protesters, and the FBI has said it is investigating death threats against members of the group.

Club Executive Director Ben Carter says the rhino to be hunted is old, male and nonbreeding — and that the animal was likely to be targeted for removal anyway because it was becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife.

But environmental groups say all members of an endangered species should be protected.