Despite his commercial success, he considers the greatest honor of his professional career as being the first professional hunter to guide the first black rhino hunts in many years. Thormählen was operating on a huge reserve in Mpumalanga that had one of the biggest privately-owned herds of southern black rhino when the owner informed him that he had gotten a tag for a black rhino trophy hunt in 2005. Thormählen sold the tag almost immediately, and guided the hunter on the first legal black rhino trophy hunt since the 1970s.

Just thirty-two days later, he guided the first-ever darted black rhino hunt, and later guided the first darted black rhino hunts with a crossbow, dart handgun, and a black powder dart gun. To date, Thormählen & Cochran have guided fourteen black rhino hunts.

Thormählen runs his company with his wife, Anso, who heads the South African operations. They have supported hunting and conservation by supporting SCI, DSC, HSC and forty-four SCI chapters with countless donated safaris. They also support the Bushmen of Namibia with game meat, clothing, financial contributions and a program to stop the illegal taking of Bushman land.

Thormählen believes professional hunters are obliged to leave something behind for the next generation and to contribute to conservation. He believes that any operator who strives only to make money and fails to provide for the future has failed as a professional hunter. As he says, “We need to ensure that the next generation of hunters will also have the privilege of walking up on an elephant, buffalo, rhino or kudu with a rifle over their shoulder.”

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to hunting in Africa now and in the future,  SCI has honored Thormählen with its International Professional Hunter of the Year award.

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