Evergreen Trophy Hunter Was Elephant Poaching Partner

DENVER, CO -- The Colorado trophy hunter mentioned in a U.S. Department of Justice federal indictment of a South African hunting guide pleaded guilty in April to violations of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wild Life Act and the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Animal rights groups are saying that bribery and fraud revealed by the details of the cases reveal that trophy hunting is "purely a head-hunting exercise" for rich people.

Paul Ross Jackson, age 63, of Evergreen paid a $25,000 fine and agreed to a four-year worldwide hunting ban that prohibits the hunting of any species designated as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S Department of Justice said in April.

Jackson, who was also an official of the Dallas Safari Club, was charged with killing several elephants, including illegally shooting a bull elephant inside Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park, and attempting to defraud government officials in order to sell the tusks of the elephant for $300 per pound. The tusks weighed about 117 lbs., so Jackson could have theoretically sold the ivory for $35,000. With the help of indicted tour leader Hanno Van Rensburg, 44, Jackson allegedly forged papers saying he was a South Africa resident to get around U.S. prohibitions on shipping ivory out of Zimbabwe.

Jackson paid Van Rensburg, of Authentic African Adventures, about $40,000 for the 2015 trip to hunt an kill elephants. Van Rensburg also allegedly attempted to sell an illegal $50,000 elephant hunt to an undercover officer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services., this week's indictment said.

As part of his plea deal, Jackson agreed to work with the USFWS to return the ill-gotten ivory to the government of Zimbabwe.

A warrant has been issued for Van Rensburg's arrest, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Jackson's guilty plea and Van Rensburg's indictment have raised criticism of the trophy hunting industry's claims that they are part of a greater scheme to promote conservation of endangered species' in Africa.

"Trophy hunting is not conservation but purely a head-hunting exercise pursued by wealthy people who are not used to hearing the word ‘no’,” said Iris Ho, wildlife program manager of Humane Society International in a statement. “Van Rensburg and his client were bent on killing elephants, not just one, but several, in their blood-thirsty pursuit. Allegations of lying to authorities, bribing government officials and falsifying documents, are the tactics they reportedly deployed."

Related: Illegal Elephant Hunt: Denver Feds Charge Man Who Led Safari

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