The Trump administration is lifting a federal ban on the importation of body parts from African elephants shot for sport.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a written notice on Thursday saying that allowing elephants in Zimbabwe to be killed will enhance the survival of the threatened species by raising money for conservation programmes from the wealthy trophy hunters who pay to shoot them.
The change overrides a ban imposed during the Obama administration and applies to the remains of African elephants killed between January 2016 and December 2018.
We are getting a lot of inquiries about changes to our policies on the import of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. You can find more information here: https://t.co/Vo754MUNE0 and answers to FAQs: https://t.co/mdjdknwt62
— US Fish and Wildlife (@USFWS) November 16, 2017
The reversal comes as the long-time president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe was placed under house arrest this week by the nation’s military, plunging the west African nation into political uncertainty.
The US embassy there has advised Americans there to “limit unnecessary movements”.
