SAN FRANCISCO: An American man, who claims to be a champion of conserving the rhinoceros population in Africa, shot and killed a black rhino during a recent trip to Namibia. Now, according to reports, wants the animal he murdered as a trophy back home in Wisconsin. According to Ecorazzi, David K. Reinke contributed $200,000 to a trust for the chance to shoot and kill a rhino as part of a hunt organized by Thormählen and Cochran Safaris. The eco-friendly blog reported that “Reinke, CEO of Liberty Parts Team, a Madison printer parts wholesale company, claims his hunting actually contributes to the conservation of the species, of which only about 4,000 are left in the wild, by reducing fighting injuries and deaths among male rhinos and encouraging rhino reproduction.” But now, Reinke hopes to have the black rhino he killed in 2009 with him at his Madison home. According to him, he donated the meat to locals and added amidst rising criticism that the animal “should go in a museum … it's very historic.” The announcement comes as poaching in Africa is on the rise. Kenya is looking to put stricter penalties on those caught killing animals illegally. Entire herds of elephants have been slaughtered by poachers, who are selling the ivory to East Asia, where it is seen as a cure for ailments, including cancer. Rhinos are also being slaughtered illegally. Last year, poachers slaughtered 384 elephants in Kenya, up from 289 in 2011, according to official figures, from a total population of around 35,000. This year, poachers have already shot dead 74. “We intend to fight poachers at all levels to save our elephants," government spokesman Muthui Kariuki said in a statement on Saturday. A major obstacle to this is that Kenyan courts are limited in their powers to jail or fine those convicted of wildlife crimes, he said. “One of the major setbacks are lenient penalties and sentencing for wildlife crime by the courts," he said. “The government is concerned about this and has facilitated the process of reviewing the wildlife law and policy with a view to having more deterrent penalties and jail terms." BN
