The logic given by Corey Knowlton, the son of a Texas oil man, who got himself good and famous by killing an endangered species – this week’s sacrifice for the good of the species was an endangered black rhinoceros – was that he was helping black rhinos everywhere.

“I felt, from the first day, it was something benefiting the black rhino,” the murderer,  or, rather Knowlton said.

Perhaps those immortal words should be cut into the former Mr. Rhino’s headstone. But that’s impossible because Mr. Benefit the Rhino has the stuffed remains earmarked for his trophy room, a wonderful little addition to the family mansion that contains all sorts of dead, stuffed, formerly alive, innocent snuggly little critters that used to be breathing.

Knowlton, that sweetheart lover of nature, has admitted to “taking” 120 different species in his unending Save the Animals Tour.

Many years ago the logic police officially ruled that killing a member of an endangered species, or any species for that matter, was not permitted to be justified by proclaiming said killing was “good for” said species.

Can’t recall anything in the handbook about that brand of logic being amended, but then I’m not a regular reader.

What I do know is that Knowlton was doing more tap dancing than Fred Astaire in his prime when it came to justifying his trigger pulling.

The background: Mr. Conservation won an auction, ultimately paying $350,000 to the Namibia Ministry of Environment and Tourism for the right to take a living creature from the planet he proclaims to love.

So, did Mr. Hunter go at the old-fashioned way, taking his gun into the jungle and stalking said beast in a Mano a Rhino standoff?

Hardly.

Armed with the best rifle daddy’s money could buy, and an experienced crew that did everything but deliver the critter to his hammock, Knowlton did his best Ramar of the Jungle imitation and sent the unarmed and unprotected critter to Rhinovana.

What a guy.

Naturally, Knowlton played down the bulge in his pants and talked about feeding a village with rhino meat as being, “the highlight of the experience.”

Do they have an African equivalent for the word, “bullshit?”

Knowlton, who loves killing as much as Scott Walker loves busting unions, can talk all the conservation, love the planet nonsense he wants.

The bottom line is that this rich asshole (is there any other kind?) gets his rocks off killing things.

He ain’t alone, but I’m sure the Ted Nugents of the world will find some way to justify his senseless murder.

He fed a village with the rhino meat? This rich prick could have sprung for a meal for the entire continent of Africa and saved himself some money.

Once more we see what the lure of money can do.

The very definition of the word “endangered” infers that killing something under that banner is not only stupid, but devastating to the planet.

But who cares?  A bunch of bureaucrats picked up some cash to help balance the books and a gorgeous creature whose lineage dates back to prehistoric earth gets the unceremonious boot off the planet.

That’s OK, little rich boy Corey Knowlton got to “take” another species, so all is right with the world.

“I think people have a problem just with the fact that I like to hunt,” Knowlton said. “I want to see the black rhino as abundant as it can be. I believe in the survival of the species.”

And to prove it, he killed one.