The hunter who paid $350,000 at a Dallas auction on Saturday to hunt a black rhino, one of the most endangered animals on the planet, says not to judge him - he cares 'deeply' about all animals.

Corey Knowlton, who has faced death threats since ponying up the cash to hunt the endangered animal, took to Facebook on Monday to respond to the mounting criticism.'Thank you all for your comments about conservation and the current situation regarding the black rhino. I am considering all sides and concerns involved in this unique situation,' Knowlton wrote on his Facebook page. 'Please don't rush to judgment with emotionally driven criticism towards individuals on either sides of this issue. I deeply care about all of the inhabitants of this planet and I am looking forward to more educated discussion regarding the ongoing conservation effort for the black rhino.'The 'license to kill' was sold by the Dallas Safari Club in conjunction with the Namibian government, as a minister from the African country was said to be jumping up and down in elation at the result because the funds go to conservation efforts in the country.Mr Knowlton is an active hunter who arranges shooting trips around the globe, and regularly posts updates of pictures on his Facebook profile of himself with clients and the dead animals that they kill.The hacktivist group Anonymous has now become involved in the debate and launched a virtual attack- which they have named as OpFunKill- on hunters involved with the auction.'Unspeakable and terrible things happen every second of every day while the whole planet is forced to watch, as these cold hearted soulless zombies cause horrific suffering and death to animals, both common, vulnerable and critically endangered species,' they said in a manifesto.Mr Knowlton, a married father of two young daughters, is a part of the Hunting Consortium and his company biography boasts that he has worked in the hunting tourism industry for more than a decade.'Corey Knowlton has hunted widely on 6 continents taking more than 120 species, including a Super Slam of wild sheep and the big five in Africa.' it states. He lists conservation as one of his major interests, which stays in line with the Dallas Safari Club's claims that the sale of the license helps protect the endangered species by focusing on the killing of specific, older and arguably more aggressive beasts. The animal that is listed as the target involved with this weekend's sale is Ronnie, an older bull rhino who can no longer breed. Club spokesman Steve Wagner told The Dallas Morning News that the animal was likely becoming a threat to other wildlife as he is getting more aggressive in his old age.An estimated 4,000 black rhinos remain in the wild, down from 70,000 in the 1960s. Nearly 1,800 are in Namibia, according to the safari club.The Dallas Safari Club sale, which has been condemned by environmental groups, was offering the chance to shoot the rare beast as a way to raise funds for the species' conservation. While there were protesters at the event and animal rights groups have regularly spoken out against the sales of hunting licenses, the organizers were more upset that they didn't raise more money- as they were originally hoping to reach the million-dollar mark. 'It annoys me to tears,' said Hanns-Louis Lamprecht, who runs a safari company in Namibia. 'I was so angry last night. A million dollars would have lasted years, years in the conservation efforts...The fact is it could have been more — it could have been a lot more,' he told The Dallas Morning News. After complaints and protests about the sale, the FBI said earlier this week that it was investigating death threats against members of the club.About 40 protesters held signs and chanted outside the convention center where the auction and dinner took place. Jim and Lauren Ries traveled from Atlanta to join the protest after their children Carter, 12, and Olivia, 11, asked if they could campaign.'We heard what the Dallas Safari Club was doing and we thought it was just wrong that they were auctioning off to kill a black rhino and we really got upset that they were thinking this,' Carter said. The family run a nonprofit organization, One More Generation, which is dedicated to saving endangered species. 'There's less than 5,000 black rhinos left on the planet and if our kids ever want to see a rhino left in the wild, we can't be pulling the trigger on every one we say is too old to breed,' Mr Ries said.Ben Carter, executive director of the Safari Club, defended the auction. He said all money raised will go toward rhino conservation efforts.He also said the rhino that the winner will hunt is old, male and non breeding — and that the animal was likely to be targeted for removal anyway because it was becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife.Mr Carter added that wildlife experts say culling a herd is an acceptable habitat management practice.'In most cases, this animal is detrimental,' Mr Carter said. 'He's past his prime.'But critics have questioned that logic. Officials from the Humane Society and the International Fund for Animal Welfare have said that while culling can be appropriate in abundant animal populations, all black rhinos should be protected, given their endangered status.Critics have also said any hunting of a rhino sends a bad message to the public.This auction is telling the world that an American will pay anything to kill their species,' Jeffrey Flocken, North American regional director of the Massachusetts-based IFAW, said earlier this week. 'This is, in fact, making a spectacle of killing an endangered species.'The auction took place in downtown Dallas under tight security and behind closed doors. Organizers hoped to at least break the previous high bid for one of the permits in Namibia, which is $223,000.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az