Trump’s reversal on elephant hunting tramples African nations

On Nov. 15, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the importation of trophies from elephants legally hunted in Zimbabwe and Zambia, thereby reversing a ban imposed under former President Obama. The agency stated the following: “The hunting and management programs for African elephants in Zimbabwe and Zambia will enhance the survival of the species in the wild.”

President Trump’s shocking attempt, seemingly in a vacuum, to rescind the Obama-era prohibition of the importation of animal parts to the U.S., of Africa’s prized and magnificent heritage and gift to the world, is not only cruel and lamentable, it will undoubtedly deepen the gravity of the nature of elephants’ endangered status. This should be obvious to the least adroit member of the Trump administration, which occupies a singular, de facto global leadership role, and in keeping with tradition, ought to be a primary force in setting the global tenor in areas of resource management and sustainability transcending national boundaries. 

{mosads}Africa is yet to fully emerge from a state of flux and is still in the throes of political metamorphosis en route to functional and stable democracies. It is abundantly clear that there are major deficiencies and gaping holes in our capacity to handle the effective management and oversight of legal or illegal predation and slaughter of these glorious and awe-inspiring behemoths. Such is their majesty that the very ground they tread on should be considered hallowed.

Progress made in efforts to ensure that the species survives and thrives in natural habitats has been at a snail’s pace and painstaking. These gains can be attributed to the long years of sacrifice and commitment of a handful of local officials, more often than now in conjunction with international conservation organizations. This latest deleterious action trotted out by the Trump administration is a betrayal to those on the front lines fighting for the hegemony of the colonies of African elephants.

The decision to basically throw caution to the wind by encouraging and supporting the further decimation of the dwindling African elephant population is unsupportable on its face — so discombobulating that it is open to conjecture. It is possible the policy reversal may have been prompted by Trump’s need to indulge his sons, both avid hunters of Africa’s apex wild life, by bestowing on them an early Christmas gift, as we approach the December safari period in Africa, or the “killing season” for the minuscule number of the world’s super rich, titillated by blood sports and driven by threadbare vanity. 

Is he setting out to be deliberately obnoxious? No purpose other than going out of his way to spite Obama?https://t.co/wWsxkVw2iq

— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) November 16, 2017

As an African, I can categorically state without fear of contradiction that the rationale in lifting the ban is farcical in the context of any existing or imaginary future elephant conservation program in Africa. Africa lacks the capacity to successfully execute such a complex program, due to slow, inefficient bureaucracies, inadequate human and technical resources, corruption and in all probability a lack of political will to prioritize such projects in the face of human existential issues. These debilitating factors are compounded by the backdrop of human encroachment on wildlife habitat and the scourge of poaching. 

We are in a race against time to save our “gentle giants” as good stewards of the planet’s largess, which is to be held in trust by each generation for posterity. Should we fail, we will be left with a diminishing gene pool of captive elephants, which eventually would result in sickly and pathetic caricatures of the once magnificent creatures. The fact that the U.S. under the Trump administration reneged on its leadership role and deemed it fit to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord shows a flagrant disregard for the current management of and future protection of our planet. The willingness to deplete the stock of elephants in the wilderness therefore comes as no surprise, but is in keeping with the overall destructive tenor of the administration. 

Trump had his gov’t make it legal for his sons to traffic in elephant parts from their ghoulish games in Zimbabwe. https://t.co/TFuMLb3ueR

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) November 16, 2017

As an African, an animal lover and a lover of life, I personally feel violated, crushed and trampled on. Africa has its unique, daunting and pervasive challenges, and to have our heritage and landscape further depleted and trashed is a bitter pill to swallow. As an African educator and advocate for African development, I would hate to say to future generations, “Elephants once lived here!” To the Trump administration I say; America as a nation has a multi-tiered crown, which reaches the stratosphere. Africa, as a whole, has a tiara. Our elephants represent a jewel in that tiara. Leave them alone.

Irene Fowler is an international lawyer based in Lagos, Nigeria, and director at Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Lagos.