"The Trump administration on Wednesday announced that it will issue permits for elephant trophies from Zambia and Zimbabwe, reversing a 2014 ban under President Obama.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official told ABC News that the agency received new information from the countries that the move would benefit conservation in the area.

“Legal, well-regulated sport hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation,” the FWS statement said."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-...1QRL?li=BBnbcA1

Good.

Common sense. What a change.

This will help fund conservation programs tremendously. Chelsea Clinton said it will increase poaching. Brilliant girl.

Did they ever lift the polar bear import ban? They need to. Although I've heard that the polar bears have adapted and are now putting a decent dent in the decades old overpopulation problem we have with snow geese.

You can't explain complicated situations with someone who has a shallow mind.

You know the old saying. You can't reason someone out of a position that they did not reason themselves into. The anti-hunters are a great example of that.

Great step, in general, but I am not sure we should be rushing to accept ivory from Zimbabwe with everything going on in that country. Government unrest tends to go hand in hand with a rise in poaching.

Don't the locals get all the meat?

I still want some elephant hide boots...

I honestly dont know much about hunting Africa, but wasn't poaching already a problem, I see it as 2 separate issues, but only one way, legally adds $ to the local economy, (managed hunting)?

Looks like a smart move from where I'm sitting, if they can control the poaching denominator that still effects CC, maybe this will be a bigger incentive to further control the poaching issue?

In countries that have some sort of handle on poaching, or even have the government will and infrastructure to try to control poaching, I think allowing import of sport hunting trophies is a great idea. It puts a monetary worth on the animal that is eating the locals crops, etc. If they know they can get a job working for a PH and make some money and get some meat for their family from hunting, they won't just kill that animal to solve the conflict. It also encourages land owners to bring in elephants instead of cattle, the same way it does with exotics here in Texas. For these reasons, I think we should allow ivory imports from most countries.

However, allowing imports also provides an easy route for smuggling illegal poached ivory into the U.S. If the government of Zimbabwe collapses (as it looks like it could), there will be no local enforcement of poaching laws. The poachers simply roll in in the absence of law enforcement, kill the elephants, and smuggle the ivory out as "hunting trophies". If it were across the board illegal to import ivory from Zimbabwe, this wouldn't be possible.

I am all for incentivizing the locals to value elephants for sport hunting and I think allowing the import of ivory does a great job of that. I am just concerned about allowing import from countries that aren't able to regulate the killing.

It was just announced that this will not go forward because of the public outcry. Temporary delayed.

I was afraid Trump was going to cave on this with all of the hand wringing and teeth gnashing going on over this.

Says he’s researching it from a conservation angle. Will be interesting to see where this goes or if he just buries it.

Trump tweeted he will make his decision on this next week and it didn’t sound very encouraging to say the least. Said he “ would be hard pressed to change his mind that this horror show would help with the conservation of elephants or any other animals”. So much for having a hunter friendly president in the White House.

Doesn't match up with his two sons posting pics of them in "the horror show" a few years ago on Facebook.

Nope

Trump will test the wind on this and go with it.

Exactly. One issue where he could be an actual conservative, make a decision based on facts, and educate at the same time. (Maybe a tweet on how those $$$ save elephants by funding conservation/anti-poaching efforts?)

But, nope.

Frustrating when he doesn't do and say what you want him to? Get used to it.

Why do you have to see every post I make through a personal lens? It’s not about what I want or don’t want.
It’s about doing the right thing, doing what he said he was going to do, and standing up for what’s right. I guess you agree that elephant hunting should be abolished and just let the poachers wipe them out so the tree-huggers will be happy?

When the majority of U.S. city folk believe animals are sentient beings, with "families", there is no educating them. The poachers and the wealthy Chinese will wipe them out and no one will ever look back and say "We got that one wrong." TIA.

http://sunshinestatenews.com/s...-elephant-trophy-ban

Vern Buchanan Cheers Trump for Reversing FWS Lifting Elephant Trophy Ban

By KEVIN DERBY

November 20, 2017 - 9:30am


With President Donald Trump freezing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proposal to end the ban on African elephant trophies, a Florida Republican who opposed the change cheered the decision.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, weighed in on Friday to oppose the FWS reversing the policy which had been in place since 2014.

But, with the FWS decision drawing heavy fire, Trump reversed his administration’s decision as he took to Twitter on Saturday.

“Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years,” Trump posted. “Will update soon with Secretary Zinke."

Trump followed that up with another Twitter posting on Sunday.

“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 insisted.

Noting that elephants have been covered under the Endangered Species Act for almost four decades, Buchanan weighed in on Trump’s decision to put the decision on hold on Saturday.

“The sport hunting of endangered African elephants is shameful,” Buchanan said. “The president made the right decision to block the importation of elephant trophies but his administration needs to follow up with a clear policy that permanently bans sport hunting of the animal.

"The United States should make clear that it does not support or encourage the slaughter of animals that are facing extinction," Buchanan added. "We need a permanent ban on sport hunting of African elephants."

In recent years, Buchanan, who sits on both the U.S. House Budget and Ways and Means Committees, has been active on animal welfare issues. Last year, he teamed up with U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-NM, to urge the Interior Department to end plans to exterminate or sell more than 45,000 wild horses. Buchanan has also been leading the charge on Capitol Hill to stop slaughtering horses for human consumption.

The Bradenton congressman has also been active in trying to keep manatees covered under the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, Buchanan protested the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to downgrade manatees from “endangered” to “threatened.” Buchanan also teamed up with U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., bringing out the “Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act," a proposal banning the slaughter of cats and dogs for human consumption. Buchanan was named legislator of the year by the Humane Society of the United States in 2016.

A 20-something National Geographic "expert", complete with nose ring, was on Fox just now about the elephant trophy ban. She said that whether or not hunters' money makes it back into conservation efforts was "unclear". That says a ton, for those that know how to listen.

Nobody ever mentions how elephant numbers plummeted after ALL hunting was banned in Kenya in the early 70s. Another liberal policy that got it wrong, but no one ever looks back.