The Trump administration verified an announcement on Thursday, that it is permitting hunters to import the remains of endangered elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia to the US legally. In 2014, a rule was made by the Obama White House, banning all elephant trophies hunted in these two African countries, to be brought into the US.

The Law was created at first because there was a significant drop in the elephant population in Zimbabwe, and it benefited the conservation of the species that were going extinct. Now, that law has been reversed by the federal government for the purpose that it will help enhance the survival of the species. 

Although the African bush, also known as the African Savanna elephant, is at risk of becoming extinct, a provision under the Endangered Species Act allows the government to give permits to hunters so that elephant ivory can be imported if, it can be proved that the sport plays a role in conservation.

The permit system is strict in quite a few African countries, where trophy hunters will have to pay large fees in order to have permission to shoot elephants, rhinos, lion, and leopards. It was also stated that a significant source of revenue can come from those fees.This idea has had an international counteraction, the Animal rights group and several others were triggered at the Trump administration's move.

The President and Chief executive of the Humane Society of the US, Wayne Pacelle, stated on a post on his blog, "What kind of message does it send to say to the world that poor Africans who are struggling to survive cannot kill elephants in order to to use or sell their parts to make a living, but that it's just fine for rich Americans to slay the beasts for their tusks to keep as trophies?"

Earlier around 2015, in Zimbabwe, a famous lion, Cecil, was killed in a contentious hunt by Walter Palmer, which caused many people to call for the dentist to go to prison and create petitions in order to spare the lives of thousands of animals from cruel deaths, including these threatened elephants. A petition to ban trophy hunting ha already received 146,000 signatures.

Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are big game hunters who could benefit from this rule change, the two were photographed in a hunt in Zimbabwe, 2012, where it revealed both of them posing with the carcasses of various dead animals.