INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Friday [11-17-17] reversed the government’s decision to start allowing hunters to import trophies of elephants that were killed in two African countries, pending a further review.
His evening Twitter message reversed a decision by his own administration over Zimbabwe that was announced this week and promoted as recently as Friday afternoon by the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders…
Ryan Zinke, the interior secretary, said in a statement later Friday night that the decision applied to two African countries, though it did not name them…
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service had signaled its intention to end the 2014 ban, citing Zimbabwe’s conservation efforts. On Thursday, the service announced on its website that it would begin issuing permits to allow the import of elephants hunted from 2016 to 2018, with two trophies allowed per import.
Nearly two weeks ago, the department also waived the ban in a similar manner for Zambia.”
-Emily Cochrane, “For Now, Trump to Keep Ban on Importing Elephant Trophies,” The New York Times online, Nov. 17, 2017