Trump Administration to Reverse Ban on Elephant Trophies

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced it would reverse a ban on the import of trophies from elephant hunts in Zimbabwe and Zambia, The Washington Post reports. Elephant-hunting trophies from Zimbabwe were banned under the Obama administration over concerns the species was endangered in that country due to a lack of conservation efforts. A statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcing the reversal on Wednesday did not explain what had changed to prompt such a decision but said more details would be published Friday. The statement said that while African elephants are considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the money paid for permits to hunt the elephants could actually help by “by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation.” The rule change reportedly applies to elephants legally hunted on or after Jan. 21, 2016, and to those killed with a permit before the end of next year. A similar rule has been implemented for elephant hunts in Zambia.