The president, who has been an advocate for closed borders, going so far as to propose a wall to completely seal the U.S.’ southern border and advocating for a travel ban that discriminately targets Muslim-majority countries, once floating a ‘Muslim registry’ policy, planned to open entry for animal body parts.
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After outcry, Trump announced on Twitter that he would put a “hold” on the decision until he could "review all conservation facts."
Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 18 de noviembre de 2017
Animal rights activists took to social media to chastise the president for his inhumane decision, as they called it.
Trump’s two adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are both big game hunters. A picture of Donald Trump Jr. circulated around social media that depicted him holding the severed tail of a dead elephant that he had apparently killed.
Trump administration plans to reverse Obama-era ban on import of elephant trophies from Africa. Great news for @DonaldJTrumpJr. pic.twitter.com/Rvf5yEutgV
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) 16 de noviembre de 2017
Conservation experts have continually reported that the population of African elephants is plummeting due to several factors, both environmental and artificial.
The African elephant population dropped 30% from 2007-14, according to statistics from the 2016 Great Elephant Census.
This prompted the Obama-era regulation.
The same group cited a 6% decline in Zimbabwe’s elephant population alone.
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However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has bizarrely claimed that hunting the animals could help their conservation due to taxes and fees imposed on hunters, which could apparently be used to aid in efforts to conserve the species.
The agency said that hunting “will help protect wild elephants for future generations.”
The Trump administration is no stranger to falling short on environmental issues. Trump’s proposed budget promised to cut funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the president is a notorious denier of climate change, a huge threat to endangered species around the world.
“President Trump and I have talked and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical,” Ryan Zinke, the Secretary of the Interior, said in a statement. “As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the issuing of permits is being put on hold as the decision is being reviewed.”