Trump reverses ban on elephant head imports

The Trump administration has ended a ban on imports of elephant trunk trophies killed in two African nations.

A spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told NBC News a limited hunting of elephants in Zimbabwe and Zambia would help conservation efforts.

“Legal, well-regulated sport hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve those species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation,” the spokesman said.

Lifting the ban allows hunters to bring back elephant “trophy heads” to the U.S. Zimbabwe and Zambia issues annual permits to foreign hunters, with the fees reportedly paying for conservation efforts.

The decision has been widely criticized by animal advocacy groups, including The Humane Society.