Big game hunters will be happy with the decision to lift the ban on elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. According to a spokesman of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, this will clear the way for the African countries to include sport hunting as a part of their management plans for the elephants. It will also boost their economy.
This line of thinking is at a variance to that of the Obama administration. It had introduced the ban in 2014 to protect the dwindling population of these animals which appear in the list of Endangered Species and need protection.
It seems in 2016 their population was approximately 350,000 which is a fraction of what it was in the early 20th Century.
Elephants are killed for their tusks
CNN reports that Safari Club International, a worldwide network of hunters, have welcomed the decision of the United States to lift the ban on hunting of African elephants. However, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society, has criticized the decision. He has said that the animals will fall prey to rich Americans. As it is, the numbers have gone down drastically by nearly 30 percent between the periods 2007 to 2014 which is attributable to poaching. The elephants are now on the list of endangered species.
Incidentally, the sons of President Donald Trump are big game hunters.
Donald Jr. is claimed to have admitted to killing an elephant, and added that the villagers were happy because they could feast on the meat.
Their fate hangs in the balance
A group of hunters love big game hunting from where they return with trophies to display their prowess. It is a well-known fact that elephants are hunted for their ivory which has a very high market value.
Exquisitely carved items made of ivory used to be in demand, but in view of the loss of animals to cater to this greed, restrictions have been imposed. However, in spite of patrolling of the savannah woodlands, poachers are still active. They kill the animals and escape with their booty, leaving the carcass behind, minus the tusks.
Illegal ivory trade is rampant in some countries. In order to check it, the ivory was collected and burnt. The result of poaching reduces the number of animals and unless it is prevented, these majestic animals could become extinct. Once any wildlife is identified as an endangered species, it becomes everyone’s responsibility to preserve them from extinction. The tusked animals have been an integral part of our lives right from the Ice Age and it will be a shame to put them into the books as a lost species.
