Trump Halts Move to Allow Elephant Trophy Imports After Uproar

The proposed rule allows hunters who kill elephants in Zimbabwe to bring their trophies back to US.

Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: iStockPhoto)

US President Donald Trump said in a tweet on 18 November that he is putting a decision to allow imports of elephant trophies on hold after a torrent of criticism from conservation advocates and across social media.

Trump's reversal came hours after his administration released a rule to allow hunters who kill elephants in Zimbabwe to bring their trophies back to the United States, which had been banned by the Obama administration.

Early word of the planned change had drawn protests from conservationists, who said it could deplete already at-risk elephant populations. It also caused a social media firestorm, with opponents posting photos of President Donald Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric, avid hunters, posing with dead wild animals.

Amid the backlash to reports that the move would apply to two southern African countries – Zimbabwe and neighboring Zambia – White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said it was due to a review by career officials at the US Fish and Wildlife Service which began back in 2014 under the previous administration of Democratic President Barack Obama.

This review established that both Zambia and Zimbabwe had met new standards, strict, international conservation standards, that allowed Americans to resume hunting in those countries.

Sarah Sanders, White House Spokesperson

In an official notice published on Friday in the Federal Register, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it had concluded that the killing of African elephants in Zimbabwe as trophies, between the dates of 21 January, 2016, and 31 December, 2018, "will enhance the survival of the African elephant."

Wildlife advocates said that move contradicts the agency's decision last year to extend Endangered Species Act protections to African lions. But US hunting groups and the National Rifle Association praised the recent decision on lion trophies, which they said the Trump administration issued on 20 October.

Africa's elephant population plunged by about a fifth between 2006 and 2015 because of increased poaching for ivory, a coveted commodity used in carving and ornamental accessories in China and other parts of Asia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said last year.

Wildlife activists argue that corruption is endemic in impoverished Zimbabwe, and that money generated by big game hunting and meant for conservation has been diverted into the pockets of crooks and poachers.

Supporters say money made from well-regulated hunts has been used for costly wildlife conservation in cash-starved African countries battling to diminish chronic poverty.