The Trump administration is planning to begin issuing permits for elephant trophy hunting, despite the Obama administration’s decision to ban elephant ivory and tusks from being imported into the U.S.
A Fish and Wildlife Service official confirmed to ABC News that it will begin issuing permits for hunters to import their elephant trophies into the U.S. from Africa. The Endangered Species Act has an exception that allows the federal agency to issue hunting permits even though the elephant is listed as a protected species. The elephant has been listed as “threatened” since 1978 under the law, according to the agency.
However, the hunters must still be able to demonstrate that the act of hunting the animals helps to conserve and increase the species’ numbers, according to a Fish and Wildlife official.
Game preserves in Africa are one example of how raising an animal for hunting acts to conserve the species in the wild.
The official told ABC that its decision to begin issuing permits was based on discussions with officials in the African nations of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
At the same time, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s longtime leader, was put under house arrest Tuesday evening in an apparent military takeover, where Mugabe has been placed under house arrest.
The country has suffered enormous inflation that has torn apart its economy over the last decade. Mugabe’s wife Grace has reportedly fled to nearby Zambia to escape house arrest.
The Trump administration appears to like the African game preserve model as a way to help threatened species. Zimbabwe and Zambia have large elephant herds.
An Interior Department advisory council the secretary, Ryan Zinke, is setting up looks to go beyond just elephants and could allow big game hunters to import trophies for other big game animals like lions.
The creation of Zinke’s International Wildlife Conservation Council was proposed last week. Once up and running, it will provide advice to the federal government on “increasing public awareness domestically regarding the conservation, wildlife law enforcement, and economic benefits that result from U.S. citizens traveling to foreign nations to engage in hunting,” according to a Federal Register notice.
“Additionally, the Council shall advise the Secretary on the benefits international hunting has on foreign wildlife and habitat conservation, anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking programs, and other ways in which international hunting benefits human populations in these areas,” the notice read.
The deadline for public comment on the proposed council is Nov. 24. The deadline for member nominations to serve on the council is Dec. 8.
