AWI Statement: Extraordinary Reversal Protects Elephants, For Now

Release Date:

November 20, 2017

Washington, DC—

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke issued a statement late Friday night halting a notice in the Federal Register—published earlier that day—allowing the importation of sport-hunted elephant trophies into the United States.

In reaction to this development, the Animal Welfare Institute issued the following statement:

The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan allowing the importation of sport-hunted elephant trophies into the United States to resume was reversed with extraordinary speed on Friday night. AWI welcomes President Trump’s and Secretary Zinke’s decision. AWI maintains that there is no credible science to support claims that sport-hunted elephant trophies will aid in elephant conservation, and is committed to ensuring that the 2014 ban of elephant trophy imports remains in place permanently in accordance with the Endangered Species Act.

To read Secretary Zinke’s statement visit, https://twitter.com/SecretaryZinke/status/931711307123974144

To read President Trump’s tweets visit, https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931685146415255552

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/932397369655808001