Trump administration says hunters can bring African elephant trophies into the U.S.

Massive ivory tusks from legally hunted African elephants can once again be brought into the United States.

Although the Obama administration banned the importation of African elephant trophies in 2014, on Wednesday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed with ABC News that the ban had been lifted for Zimbabwe and Zambia, two nations with sizable elephant populations.

The decision to allow these ivory hunting prizes into the U.S. stokes much controversy. Safari big-game hunters, who engage in legal hunting of these animals, feel they should be able to keep the spoils of their sport. But conservationists, such as The Elephant Project, view this as a “pay to slay” tactic that will encourage more poaching of an intelligent, vulnerable species.   Read more…

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