Posted on 11/15/2017 5:06:53 PM PST by Simon Green
The Trump administration plans to allow hunters to import trophies of elephants they killed in Zimbabwe and Zambia back to the United States, reversing a ban put in place by the Obama administration in 2014, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official confirmed to ABC News today.
Even though elephants are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, a provision in the act allows the government to give permits to import these trophies if there is evidence that the hunting actually benefits conservation for that species. The official said they have new information from officials in Zimbabwe and Zambia to support reversing the ban to allow trophy hunting permits.
"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," a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
IIRC, the natives are very appreciative of the meat.
More winning. Now get rid of that stupid ban on the ivory trade. Its done nothing but enrich poachers and corrupt Africa governments. (Yes, I know thats redundant.)
L
I'm pretty sure most elephants look upon these claims with skepticism.
The Man has dominion over the beasts and the earth. That is all that needs to be said. Do as you please.
Elephant trophies?
How about McConnell, and Ryan, and McCain to start?
I've also seen it written that in South Africa the breeding of various creatures popular with "big game hunters" and allowing them to be hunted actually increases their numbers by giving breeders the incentive to increase their numbers and control hunting.
Although this might not have always been true,today it's Asians who want elephant tusks and rhino horns for their medieval superstitious beliefs.
Doubtful.
The countries that had legalized hunting had their herds grow.
The ones that outlawed hunting had their herds shrink.
That is because there was no incentive to let the elephants roam around free.
Elephants require a great deal of land and when they decide to move into a new area there is really no way to stop them. When people are already there then you have a major problem as they will destroy entire villages, crops, orchards and kill farm animals and people.
This makes elephants very unpopular and the locals support getting rid of them by any means necessary.
But with legal hunting there is a incentive to keep the elephants alive.
Sorry: Animal lover here. I love these majestic beasts. Gestation for elephants is over a year and they are highly of intelligent. I hope This is fake news.
Shouldn’t have gone into effect to begin with. Big steps to stop poaching didnt start until local villagers were given control and it was in their interest to make sure it stopped.
Some freepers once again on the wrong side of having a soul. Weighing the benefits of slaughter without a thought of the horror ... some of you are beyond sick.
Peter Capstick, a big game hunter and author was paid back in the 70’s to specifically kill elephants (and maneaters that threatened the villages) because they simply destroy so much of the vegetation that other animals also need.
“Death in the Long Grass” is an interesting read.
Because it was far more humane and caring to have poachers cripple them with AKs enough to catch up and cut their faces off with chainsaws or when villagers shot elephants in the face with shotguns and left the blind animal to starve.
Now the villagers arent poacher guides act as body guards in some of these areas. Less over population stripping resouces and driving them into conflict situations.
“Sorry: Animal lover here. I love these majestic beasts. Gestation for elephants is over a year and they are highly of intelligent. I hope This is fake news.”
Your animal loving rights end where it meets the rights of the hunter.
Guess you’re on the wrong website, toots.
The ban on ivory has probably done more to hurt the elephant population than help. We do to animals what we did to the American Indians, love them to death
And not only vegetation.
A water hole is unusable after the elephants have passed through.
Even major predators go to the water hole, drink and leave. Elephants settle in like it is their personal spa and chase all other animals away.
When they leave the water hole has been trampled into a mud puddle, all the vegetation has been ripped up and the water is full of elephant poop.
I like elephants. I am not in favor of wiping them out but I know how destructive they can be too.
If you want elephants to be around you need to provide a reason for the locals to keep them around. Hunting provides that reason.
I essentially do not believe in trophy kills.
To cull over populated herds or with deer and elk hunted for meat, all that and similar seems good. But to kill just to get a trophy seems unworthy of a human being and mostly an ego thing.
I am not sure where I fall as to laws about it, but if someone I knew was thinking about it I’d say to them I don’t like it and don’t respect it; I’d hope they wouldn’t do it.
As a Conservative I have to ask why are so many Conservatives just like Progressives, applauding Executive power making law/legal (regulatory) decisions all on its own, when we agree with the choice being made in the decision, and then rightly arguing such executive power is inherently wrong ONLY when we don’t like an Executive decision. Many Conservative are such hypocrites sometime when it comes to the regulatory state and Executive use and abuse of it.
If there is to be an American law regarding trophy hunting, then it out be in toto a law enacted by Congress, not set in favor or opposed to it by Executive fiat alone.
The only reason Im for this is because the liberals will go ballistic.
Then tell congress to get off their well padded butts and do it.
As it is this does fall under the regulatory authority that congress gave to the executive branch.
I find it amusing when the "more conservative then thou" dears crawl out and bemoan the fact that something is being undone the exact same way it was enacted.
And I find it ROFL funny when people act like trophy animals are not eaten. I would hope your hypothetical friend would laugh in your ignorant face, say he has no respect for the opinion of a fool and walk away.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.