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| Cecil (L) was killed by a trophy hunter, credit: NatGeo |
Despite calling trophy hunting a "horror show" in one his infamous tweets, Hair Further's administration said it will end the ban on importation of lion and elephant trophies from Zambia and Zimbabwe. Conservationists derided the memorandum from US Fish & Wildlife, which said trophy importation would be decided on a "case by case" basis, as lacking transparency, confusing and promoting corruption. It said its decision making would be based on the consideration of the Endangered Species Act, but it could not say how many permits would be issued for either specie, nor could it offer any further clarification of the new rule. One if the reasons offered for the lack of guidance was on-going litigation over trophy importation. A Zimbabwe conservationist called the entire muddle, a debate over “butchering the last survivors for entertainment.” The trophy business is already highly opaque and the relaxation of the ban provides an another mechanism for corrupting a system that benefits a few highly-placed safari outfitters and wealthy foreign hunters.
