(eTN) – Killing and conservation normally are never found in the same paragraph when it comes to endangered species, let alone in the same sentence. But Texas-based Dallas Safari Club (DSC), an association belonging to hunters, conservationists, and wildlife enthusiasts has managed to do just that. According to reports, DSC is auctioning a hunting permit to kill a black rhino for Namibia’s rhino conservation program.

The auction is to coincide with DSC’s annual gathering which will be hosted next year in January by Namibia, according to South Africa Tourism Update. And, the rhino hunt is reportedly going to take place at Mangetti National Park, which is located in northern Namibia.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has granted Namibia an annual export quota of up to five hunter-taken black rhinos, South Africa Tourism Update reported. The Namibia government approved the permit in accordance with CITES provisions to generate funding for rhino conservation initiatives, including anti-poaching efforts.

“This fundraiser is the first of its kind for an endangered species,” DSC executive director Ben Carter was quoted as saying. “It’s going to generate a sum of money large enough to be enormously meaningful in Namibia’s fight to ensure the future of its black rhino populations.”

If you think the “killing-for-conservation” scheme sounds ludicrous, you are not alone. US advocacy group, the Humane Society, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have expressed their opposition to this “disturbing” auction.

“If these are multimillionaires and they want to help rhinos, they can give their money to help rhinos,” Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle was quoted as saying. “They don’t need to accompany their cash transfer with a high-caliber bullet.”

IFAW North American director Jeff Flocken told National Geographic: “Killing animals to save them is not only counterintuitive but ludicrous. We’re talking a highly-endangered species, and generating a furor to kill them in the name of conservation is not going to do anything to help them in the long run.”