Look at the picture above. Somebody please tell me why some men see those majestic animals and their first thought is to kill them? I will never understand it, but then I am a lover of nature and do not seek to destroy that which I love. This week, Trump & Co, in their determined effort to undo every single thing that Obama did, have overturned a ban on bringing the heads of slain elephants into the country from the nations of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Now, read this sentence and tell me if you see something wrong with the logic:
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said it has determined that hunting African elephants in Zimbabwe and Zambia “will enhance the survival of the species in the wild.”
“The decision, cheered by some hunting and gun rights groups, is a reversal of the policy under the Obama administration. The United States and international authorities say the African elephant is a threatened species, and the Obama administration argued that allowing trophy imports would harm the animals by encouraging killing them.” – Timothy Cama, The Hill, 15 November 2017
“In 2014, the Obama administration curtailed elephant trophy imports as part of an initiative to protect elephants, whose populations were alarmingly declining, targeted for wildlife trafficking and ivory. As a result, officials in Zimbabwe and Zambia bolstered efforts to combat poaching and enact stricter systems to keep track of permits and quotas.
The Safari Club and the National Rifle Association, which challenged the ban in court, are celebrating the reversal and praising the Trump administration for recognizing the importance of “sound scientific wildlife management.”
By lifting the import ban on elephant trophies in Zimbabwe and Zambia the Trump Administration underscored, once again, the importance of sound scientific wildlife management and regulated hunting to the survival and enhancement of game species in this country and worldwide,” Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement.” – Brianna Sacks, Buzzfeed, 15 November 2017
Savanna elephant populations declined by 30 percent across 18 countries in Africa from 2007 to 2014, according to the Great Elephant Census published last year. The elephant population declined 6 percent overall in Zimbabwe but dropped by 74 percent within one specific region. Elephants saw “substantial declines along the Zambezi River,” in Zambia while other areas of that country were stable, according to the census.
The announcement to overturn the 2014 ban is expected on Friday. Donald Trump promised his followers that he would reverse everything that President Obama ever did, and he has certainly been trying. Every one of his attempts thus far has been harmful to the nation and its people: reversing environmental protections, healthcare, labour standards, gun control, education and more. In most cases, the only reason for the changes are to spite Obama. Why? Well, we all know the answer to that.
What makes a man hunt wild game anyway? It is an expensive activity, what with travel, licensing and fees, so only the relatively wealthy can participate. It is not, though some would argue, a sport, for there is no sport in murdering an animal with a high powered rifle, when the only defense the animal had was to attack you, but you shot him before he could come near. The animal stands no chance against this …
I cannot, I suppose, call this a crime against humanity, but it is most assuredly a crime … a crime against nature, a crime against … life. Donald Trump and Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, must be toasting their achievement tonight, and Donald’s sons even more so …
I, however, am not.
You can follow Jill Dennison at her webpage Filosofa’s