Makes sense 1. There is no Climate Change in Texas 2. The big game hunters would rather not go to Africa if they could stay home in Texas
Is there any truth to this story or is the journo just making up their own articles? Seems fishy. Bring them to the state of nearly everyone has a gun or a few and give an opportunity for the cartels to make easy money and flip ki's of powder in drug and horn. What if the rhino are poisoned by all the fracking and loose regulations where the environment is infected? Ranchers just clean their cattle mess and it hits waterways and the hogs are everywhere. What of the spread of disease? It seems half-cocked and pure fantasy. The National Elephant Center in Florida has a few hundred acres. They have their African Elephants there, some death has already happened in its short time of being open. They are funded by donations and Zoos, yet have barely taken off and running. They're trying to set up an Asian barn and paddocks. Yet are having trouble. When it started, they were promised funding and backing where they would open in phases. The deaths and and the start of the African side, haven't garnered mass appeal and money tossed at their feet. If TNEC which is backed and has had a slow start and backing not there, how can 4% be expected to do any better?
I wonder how the South African government is going to feel about these Americans coming in and, paraphrasing, saying "you suck, only America can look after rhinos, so we're taking most of them." And then how the US Department of the Interior is going to feel about them, paraphrasing, saying "we want to import a thousand wild rhinos from South Africa and people are going to keep them in their homes to raise them because we don't have any money or enclosures to put them into right now, but we'll sort that out later."
Personally, I'd rather see efforts made to reintroduce native species to south Texas like jaguars, ocelots, jaguarundi, margay, and wolves. Best to remove the log from your own eye before pointing out the splinter in your neighbor's.
Where is your 2nd one coming into play? According to the article the rhinos WON'T be hunted available to be hunted. they reason they'd be brought in is for conservation not canned hunts.
Lot of African and Asian species have viable "reserve" populations in Texas. Aside from large carnivores (other than Alligators) Texas has a pretty good track record on conservation. Cougars are holding on despite very few protections. Black Bears are solidly protected and coming back. I believe Texas has already been pretty significant in contributing to Rhino conservation regarding populations currently in captivity. If the state would make a concerted effort to preserve currently private lands as perminant wildlife habitat...and consider restoring some of their lost wolves and big cats...that shining Lone Star would be gold in my book. Politics aside...Texas (and Australia) might just be the breathing space Rhinos (and southern Africa) needs. We need to be bold in conservation...land management, zoos, hunting, and (at times) relocating populations should be considered seriously and dispassionately.
Article says IF they get approval from US Fish Wildlife and from South African Government. Yeah, good luck with that.
And who will pay for the translocation of this many rhinos. Moving 1 rhino is expensive moving a 1000 will be a logistical and financial nightmare. And the population dynamics will be fun especially as you will have keep animals moving between herds to keep the breeding going.
Definitely a pipe dream...but at least they are dreaming outloud. Wasn't there serious consideration concerning translocating Rhinos to Australia?
Believe it or not, a lot of Texas oil men are big players in conservation (Bass family). It wouldn't surprise me if they were major players in this.
