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 US tycoon fights for white rhino trophy
    Tony Carnie
    November 06 2009 at 07:04AM 		Get IOL on your
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One of the richest men in America is embroiled in a heated legal battle with South African wildlife officials to recover the trophy head of a white rhino bull.

The twist to the story is that the rhino at the centre of the row appears to be alive and healthy in Mkhuze game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal after surviving a hunting attempt more than three months ago by Texas property tycoon H Ross Perot jr, son of H Ross Perot, 79, former US presidential candidate who stood against George Bush (sr) and Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential elections.

The animal was apparently shot and wounded by Perot jr in late July, but the bull ran off and wildlife officials have been unable to find any sign of a carcass or a wounded animal - indicating that it suffered a flesh wound or was not seriously injured.
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A professional hunter acting for Perot then engaged lawyers to allow a "follow-up" operation and it was agreed that Perot could have the animal's head if it was tracked down during a hunting operation scheduled to start this weekend.

Texas property tycoon H Ross Perot jr, son of H Ross Perot, 79
But in a dramatic about-turn last night, conservation authorities pulled the plug on the second hunt and declared that Perot was no longer entitled to his trophy horns in any circumstances.

The initial decision to allow Perot's agents to have a "second bite at the cherry" drew strong opposition after it emerged that the animal would be shot by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife if there was a visible bullet wound from Perot's large-calibre hunting rifle.

Despite initial opposition, Ezemvelo later agreed that the trophy head and skin would become the property of Perot and could be shipped back to Texas. But last-minute discussions were held last night between Ezemvelo chief executive Bandile Mkhize and Andrew Zaloumis, chief executive of the IsiMangaliso Wetland Park world heritage site.

Shortly before The Mercury was about to publish the story, Mkhize and Zaloumis announced that there would be no second hunt and if Ezemvelo were to track down the animal and find that it was suffering they would put it out of its misery - but Perot no longer had any claim to its head.

Garry Kelly, the South African professional hunter who was sub-contracted to accompany Perot on the first hunt, had insisted that the primary purpose of the follow-up operation at Mkhuze was to ensure the wounded animal was tracked down and destroyed to spare it further pain and suffering.

Mkhize and Zaloumis announced that there would be no second hunt
Other sources felt the decision to allow a follow-up was "morally absurd" and merely a pretext to obtain the animal's head. They said the animal had suffered a flesh wound and was unlikely to bear any remaining visible wounds.

Kelly said the fate of the trophy head was irrelevant to him and he was simply completing his professional duty to follow the hunt to its conclusion. However, his attorney has stated that the current health status of the animal became immaterial to the trophy contract the moment it was struck by a bullet.

"The American client of my client (Kelly) has paid a vast sum of money, so there is an issue of getting the trophy... the legal issue is that there is a contract which says they are entitled and obliged to do what they are doing. The (American) client says he can't come back (to South Africa) and feels: 'I've paid for it and I want it (the trophy).'"

The Mercury has established from correspondence that Perot jr, 47, was accompanied on the recent African safari by one of his sons, Hill Perot, 27.

While Perot jr apparently bungled his shot in the controlled hunting zone of the Mkhuze reserve, Hill Perot is understood to have succeeded in bagging his own rhino trophy.

Judging from pictures posted on his "Facebook" and "MySpace" online networking sites, Hill Perrot already has an extensive trophy collection.

Neither Kelly nor his Pietermaritzburg attorney, Pat Dewes, would confirm the identity of their American client, but a spokesman for Perot confirmed his involvement through an e-mail message which referred all queries to Kelly.

Dewes said the American client (Perot) was "not a novice" and was required by the Ezemvelo hunting contract to undergo a marksmanship proficiency test before he was allowed to proceed with the hunt.

A flurry of legal letters was exchanged between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Kelly, reportedly with the support of Perot jr.

He insisted on an opportunity to do a follow-up hunt for the injured animal. But Ezemvelo CEO Bandile Mkhize declined this request on the basis that hunting rules and codes of conduct did not permit this. If an animal was wounded and could not be recovered it was considered forfeit. Mkhize also expressed concern about the difficulty of tracking and identifying the bull.

Last month, however, Ezemvelo acceded to Kelly's requests and allowed him permission for "one final search".

In a subsequent letter, Mkhize made it clear that the rhino could be shot only if the animal was identified according to agreed criteria and "if there is any doubt the animal will not be shot".

It made no mention, however, of the current health status of the animal being a factor in the decision to hunt it a second time.

Kelly's attorney has taken the view that if the animal was identified and shot by Ezemvelo officials his clients were automatically entitled to possession of the trophy head and skin.

Perot jr is listed on the Forbes list of America's richest people, although he is not quite as rich as his more famous father. Perot jr's wealth fell from $2,2bn to $1,25bn in the most recent Forbes list.

It is not known how much Perot jr paid for the hunt, but sources suggest a single rhino trophy hunting package would cost in the region of R500 000.

While the issue of rhino hunting remains contentious, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife offers at least two hunts in the Mkhuze reserve every year on a tender basis, and an average of 30 white rhinos are also auctioned annually to private buyers, including hunters.

Several conservation authorities have acknowledged the role of hunting and private ownership in boosting the species' recovery. But now the failed hunting attempt by Perot jr has raised fresh concerns around the issue of rhino hunting.

    • This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on November 06, 2009
Showing page 1 of 10 comment pages, 97 total comments
1 Week ago Anonymous wrote :
Disgusting. While I am all for Foreign exchange coming into the country, this is not a "sport", this does not make you a "man". It makes you a coward, if you want to be a real man take a photo and leave the animal for thr future generations. That, or take on the Rhino with a hunting knife, and not from behind the scope of a rifle, sitting on the back of a bakkie, whislt on a 5* "safari". How someone gets joy from this disgusting practice is beyond me.
1 Week ago tongueincheek wrote :
Would there be as much fuss if the rhino was BLACK? Just asking.....
2 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
This whole story seems pretty strange, I may be living with blinkers on but I was under the impression that Rhino's were difficult to breed and thus protected, they're one of the last animals I thought people could pay to kill. Was there something wrong with this Rhino that it needed to be shot? Odd... PS. @Smangele, this has nothing to do with race, the only time a colour is mentioned in the article is describing the Rhino as a White Rhino - are you saying that this Rhino was involved in the cause of the suffering that you went through as a result of 'the legacy of apartheid'? It's because of people like you that SA is still struggling to move away from everything revolving around race - we are trying to have an intelligent discussion here about hunting animals which has absolutely nothing to do with apartheid or where civilization started.
2 Weeks ago A South African Texan wrote :
Sorry Mr. Perot, rather buy one from a zoo and shoot it in your back yard from your rocking chair. I understand and appreciate the contribution that hunting makes to conservation and the SA economy, but you blew it. Let the rhino live...., and let your ego die.
2 Weeks ago Musikwudd wrote :
HERE WE CAN SEE WHAT THESE SUPER-RICH US IDIOTS HAVE IN THEIR BRAIN AND ON THEIR SMALL MINDS...... not much - but childish EGO stuff ! Wildlife conservation is a foreign term to them. So here we can learn that wealth and wisdom seldom goes together............
2 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
I am a South African now living in the States I was a PH for many years, most American hunters are trying to live and walk in Hemingway's foot steps, they think hunting Africa is what it was 60 years ago. All African hunts for Americans are canned hunts. The glory of an African hunt is not what it use to be, we are ALL now conservationists are we not. Rich Americans need to use their money in a positive way and not try to be a African Hunting Hero as they think Hemming way was. He was just a drunken fool half the time.
2 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
As an American living in the US with family in SA, I often read The Star online. I reas this article and was disgusted by Perot's actions of hunting and then pursuing this legally. I live in the States and can tell you first hand that most Americans are kind hearted and there are more conservationists here than anywhere in the world. This huntin is merely the action of a rich heir who thinks money can buy anything.
2 Weeks ago chize wrote :
Being worthy does not necessary mean you have the rights to kill or hunt wildlife.Who is gumbling?In Africa we are already losing these wonderful creatures like Rhinos& I believe the 4th generation won't have these animals.But we still have these rich ignorant individuals,playing games with these animals because of *DOSH*.If there is a lot of cash,why can't these individuals throw their fortune into charities.Its sad,these individuals come to Africa,where we have a problem illnesses,poverty,education but betting their fortune on the life of an innocent creature.Pliz,protect them as they need life as we do.
2 Weeks ago mna wrote :
these a-mericans want to colonise our animals now, since the people are half way to be free. americans are bullying the world, since they have that permannet sit in the security council. I hope the loose it one then. then they will ask for pemmission before hunting in other pwoples houses. they must go hunt their rappers/hip-hoppers.
2 Weeks ago Smangele wrote :
Dear Andile You are probably one of the few privileged Africans who know nothing about the suffering caused by the legacy of apartheid. You are trying to appease whites by calling me stupid - don't name call me bro - come up with facts or shut!
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