Trump Lifts Trophy Ban

On 1 March, previous rulings in favor of banning the trophies of elephants being brought into the USA were overturned. This change directly differs from President Donald Trump’s previous stance on the issue. This change occurred with an unusual lack of publicity, despite the subject being a hot topic.

The reversal of this ban leads to detrimental effects on the affected areas.

“The agency said it will withdraw earlier agency rulings related to importing trophies of dead elephants from South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia, as well as those related to importing trophies of dead lions and bonteboks from South Africa,” NBC News said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to allow the import of the trophies on a case-by-case basis. This statement, however, is to be taken with a grain of salt. The lack of transparency with the public on the issue is concerning to many wildlife conservationists.  

Elephants are an endangered species. By allowing the import of their trophies, this increases the amount of elephants being shot and killed for sport. This results in a decline in the elephant population.

“I think that an endangered species should not be allowed to be hunted,” senior Kyra Lea said.  

This reversal ends an Obama-era ban.

“The population of African elephants, the world’s largest land mammal, has declined from 5 million to 400,000 over the past century. That’s why they’ve been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1979,” The Washington Post said.