Washington, Nov 20 : US President Donald Trump called elephant hunting a “horror show” and indicated that he will block imports of elephant trophies from two African nations despite his administration’s earlier approval of the practice.
On Friday, Trump had temporary halted the decision of the US Fish and Wildlife Services to lift ban on import of trophies of elephants from Zambia and Zimbabwe into the US.
“Big-game trophy decision will be announced next week but will be very hard pressed to change my mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of Elephants or any other animal,” Trump said in a tweet late last night.
Trump’s decision to review the Obama-era policy received a wave of criticism from some conservationists, Republican lawmakers and many celebrities.
The Obama administration banned such imports because authorities believed trophy hunting harmed the survival of elephants.
Last week, the US Fish and Wildlife Services said after more than two years of extensive assessments, it has determined that importing limited numbers of hunted elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia into the US will help protect wild elephants for future generations.
The decision was part of a robust US conservation strategy that seeks to eliminate poaching and associated wildlife trafficking while using legal, managed hunting programmes to support wildlife and habitat conservation in range countries.
