Trump reverses feds’ decision on elephant trophies, for now
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday reversed the government’s decision to start allowing hunters to import trophies of elephants that were killed in two African countries, pending a further review.
His evening Twitter message reversed a decision by his own administration over Zimbabwe that was announced this week and promoted as recently as Friday afternoon by the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts,” Trump tweeted. “Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!”
Ryan Zinke, the interior secretary, said in a statement later Friday night that the decision applies to two African countries, though it did not name them.
“President Trump and I have talked, and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical,” the statement said. “As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, the issuing of permits is being put on hold as the decision is being removed.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had signaled its intention to end the 2014 ban, citing Zimbabwe’s conservation efforts.
On Thursday, the service announced on its website that it would begin issuing permits to allow the import of elephants hunted between 2016 and 2018.
Nearly two weeks ago, the department also waived the ban in a similar manner for Zambia.
Zambia and Zimbabwe have had mixed success in recent years maintaining or growing their elephant population, according to the Great Elephant Census, a project financed by Paul Allen, a founder of Microsoft.
It is unclear why Trump reversed the decision, but the announcement faced backlash from both conservatives and liberals.
The White House argued that the hunting would bring money to local communities and incentivize efforts to protect elephants.