Target: Donald Trump, President of the United States
Goal: Do not make the U.S. complicit in the brutal killing of elephants for profit by allowing elephant trophies to be imported.
Without publicizing it, the Trump administration has decided to lift a ban on importing elephant trophies, permitting these cruelly sport-hunted items from certain African countries into the U.S. “on a case-by-case basis.” This move comes mere months after — amidst widespread uproar — Trump announced that he would pause the rollback of this important ban, tweeting that he “will be very hard pressed to change [his] mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of elephants or any other animal.”
There is no clarification regarding how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide which importation permits to grant and which to deny. In the past Trump stated, “I didn’t want elephants killed and stuffed and have the tusks brought back into this [country].” He also expressed skepticism about the idea that hunting promotes conservation efforts — a skepticism shared by activists and conservationists, who say that it is unlikely that fees paid by big game hunters truly make it to the wildlife agencies they are meant to support. The quiet decision to lift this ban will be hugely damaging to elephant conservation efforts. Sign below to demand that the ban on importing elephant trophies remains in place.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Trump,
The rollback of the ban on importing elephant trophies is unacceptable and dangerous. It not only encourages the brutal killing of innocent and endangered elephants for profit, it also makes the U.S. complicit in that brutality. Additionally, conservation activists are doubtful that big game hunting fees actually benefit conservation and make it to the organizations they are intended to.
You expressed similar skepticism yourself, and have publicly stated your opposition to lifting the ban. You said that you “didn’t want elephants killed and stuffed and have the tusks brought back,” and that you would be “very hard pressed to change [your] mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of elephants or any other animal.” I urge you to stand by those statements. Please help save innocent and endangered elephants, and do not allow the ban on the importation of elephant trophies to be lifted.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]