Ain’t No Elephantasy – Almost!!!!

Well, it’s not exactly an attack against the GOP, whose resplendent symbol is ironically the elephant… more like an attack by the GOP on that revered animal. First, let’s get our terms right. We’re looking at African elephant, which are considered a “threatened” species under international, and more particularly American, law. “Under the Endangered Species Act in the United States, ‘threatened’ is defined as ‘any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.’” And an endangered species is one on the verge of extinction.

 I have been traveling to Africa since the 1970s. Sadly, with every trip, that former abundance of cheetah, rhino and elephant, to name just a few, has rapidly dwindled from large numbers to modest to… you have to drive and search hard to find any. I’ve watched elephant adopt an abandoned calf, after the mother was taken down by poachers. It is a touching sight, to say the least. I’ve watched a noble matriarch lead her litany of mother and calves to the bones of a departed elephant, carefully caressing the bones with a palpable feeling of sadness. The powerful memories I have of those moments still brings a tear to my eyes. Elephant are intelligent and caring. They understand their vulnerabilities. You can see it in their eyes.

But with an exceptionally-pro-gun administration with few environmental concerns, willing to turn a blind eye to autocrats and the corruption that they represent, comes a stunning new policy: “Partially reversing an Obama-era ban, the Trump administration will now allow U.S. hunters to bring home the remains of elephants they’ve killed in Zimbabwe and Zambia in southern Africa… The [recently announced] move was greeted with cheers by hunters and firearms groups but was derided by animal rights advocates as the government argued that conditions for elephants in parts of Africa had ‘changed and improved’ in recent years.

“The sides starkly disagree over whether the move helps or hurts elephant conservation efforts in the long run, with one animal advocacy group already threatening to sue the Trump administration over the decision… [The] U.S. Endangered Species Act… limits American hunters bringing back trophies — body parts — unless ‘the killing of the trophy animal will enhance the survival of the species.’

“Hunter groups argue that pricey exotic-animal hunting trips help elephants by providing tourism revenue to African nations that bolsters conservation programs… Animal rights advocates say that encouraging trophy imports only encourages more hunters to kill elephants.

“African elephants have lost more than 50% of their range across the African continent since 1979, and have been slaughtered for trophy hunting and their ivory tusks, which are banned from international trade.

“African savanna elephants saw their population decline 30% between 2007 and 2014, according to a wildlife survey called the Great Elephant Census… Under the Obama administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suspended elephant trophy imports in 2014 from Zimbabwe and Tanzania. The agency singled out Tanzania for ‘questionable management practices, a lack of effective law enforcement and … uncontrolled poaching and catastrophic population declines.’

“In Zimbabwe, ‘limited’ data suggested there had been ‘a significant decline in the elephant population,’ the agency said in its 2014 announcement. (The Obama administration decided to allow trophy exports in Zambia in 2012, but then Zambia’s government temporary suspended trophy hunting.)

“Gun groups protested the Obama administration’s decision as hasty. The National Rifle Assn. and the Safari Club International, a hunters’ advocacy group, tried to block the bans in court, arguing the government failed to gather enough data to make its decision.” Los Angeles Times, November 11^th. That reference to “questionable management practices” goes well-beyond underfunded and under paid enforcement officers. The ugly side of elephant poaching, the lucrative ivory trade which, though diminished, still flourishes, is the money that top government officials in those “developing” nations receive either to “look the other way,” keep enforcement to a minimum, or, even more devastating, as direct participants in the bounty and practice of poaching.

Sometimes, the cache of seized illegal ivory gets an official stamp that the tusks were part of a legal culling or from natural deaths of elephant… and slips from absolutely illegal to legitimately tradeable. At a price that is deeply hidden. For nations charging hunters for the right to take elephants legally, ostensibly to use that money to sponsor greater enforcement, it is not unheard of that more than a little of that cash finds its way into the pockets of high-ranking local government officials. In short, the program often fails the very animals it was designed to help. But then man-accelerated global climate change is a Chinese hoax! Empathy is in short supply.

What could possibly stop Donald Trump from rewarding trophy hunters with this spectacular bonus? How about an absolutely overwhelming outpouring of tweets, Facebook postings and emails, from right, left and center, screaming “no.” Soooo… ” In the wake of widespread criticism, President Trump tweeted Friday [11/17] evening that he’s putting his administration’s decision to reverse the ban on import of trophies from elephant hunts on hold for now… ‘Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts,’ Trump wrote. ‘Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!’” AOL.com, November 11^th. Death sentence still pending. A momentary or permanent reprieve? Keep that pressure up!!!

The environmental damage inflicted on the earth by the Trump administration is not only devastating… much of that decimation is irreversible.