Trump lifts ban on ivory trophies

African elephants are on the US’ endangered species list. In spite of that, President Trump has lifted a ban by former President Obama on the import of elephant trophies to the US.

The remains of elephants legally hunted in Zimbabwe and Zambia can now be legally imported into the US as trophies, reversing an Obama-era ban on elephant trophies.

Hunting advocates argue that revenue from legal hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia actually helps fund conservation efforts, which would be strapped for cash without it.

Conservationists say the decision is troubling and that it will undermine campaigns to stop the trade in ivory, something the US had been spearheading.

Al Jazeera’s Andy Gallacher reports.