The Fish and Wildlife Service said we have to kill elephants to help save them. The data says otherwise.
"Africa's Other Elephant Is Fading Fast"
By Christopher Ingraham November 17 at 10:01 PM
(Donna Brown/Flickr)
Supporters of trophy hunting say that permit fees from the practice, which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars in the case of large game like elephants, can be put toward conservation efforts that help bolster the populations of endangered animals.
In part, that was the logic behind the Trump administration's reversal of an Obama-era ban on importing African elephant trophies from Zimbabwe.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has made a finding that the killing of African elephant trophy animals in Zimbabwe, on or after January 21, 2016, and on or before December 31, 2018, will enhance the survival of the African elephant,” according to a notice posted Friday in the federal register.
Late Friday evening, President Trump announced via Twitter that he would "put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts." Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke followed up with a statement saying, “President Trump and I have talked and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical. As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the issuing of permits is put on hold as the decision is being reviewed.”
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The ban's reversal comes at a particularly inauspicious time for Zimbabwe, just two days after the military took control of the country, accusing the government of corruption. “This fact in and of itself highlights the absurdity and illegal nature of the FWS decision to find that Zimbabwe is capable of ensuring that elephant conservation and trophy hunting are properly managed,” wrote the Humane Society's Pacelle.
In response to President Trump's announcement that he would put the decision on hold, Pacelle said, via email, that he was "grateful to President Trump for reassessing elephant and lion trophy hunting imports. This is the kind of trade we don't need."
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