What the Ban on Elephant Trophies Means

Days after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a decision to lift the ban on elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe and Zambia, President Donald Trump has announced he plans to reverse course.

Update, March 6, 2018: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a memo on March 1 saying that it will withdraw its 2017 Endangered Species Act findings for trophies of African elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia—which lifted the ban on importing elephant trophies from those countries—and instead consider applications to import trophies on a “case-by-case basis.” It also withdrew an ESA finding regarding the import of lion trophies, reversing a previous ban on importing trophies of captive lions. The agency said that it will evaluate the information in each application “as well as other information available to the Service” to ensure that the program is promoting the conservation of the species.

President Donald Trump tweeted Friday night that he was keeping the ban on importing game trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia, reversing his administration’s announcement two days earlier that the bans would be lifted. The issuing of import permits for elephant trophies from those two countries has now been put on hold, says Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.

When the decision to lift the ban was announced on Wednesday at a Safari Club International event in Tanzania, it was met with an avalanche of criticism. Several years earlier, under President Barack Obama, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned the import of elephant trophies from certain countries because the service found that the hunts did not contribute to the

Unlock this story for free
Create an account to read the full story and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles.

Unlock this story for free

Want the full story? Sign up to keep reading and unlock hundreds of Nat Geo articles for free.
Already have an account?
SIGN IN

Read This Next

What bacteria lurk in your city? Consult the bees.
Is melatonin giving you nightmares?
Why are these orcas killing sharks and removing their livers?

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet