United States President Donald Trump is reported to have quietly lifted the ban on elephant trophies, a move that could benefit Zimbabwe which promotes professional hunting.
Reports say Trump lifted the ban on 1 March saying permission to import trophies will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
The ban on trophies was imposed by Barack Obama but Trump relaxed it in November last year only to reverse it after a public backlash.
It is not clear how long the present relaxation will last as lobbying again the partial lifting has already started.
Two of Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Junior are said to be avid hunters and trophy collectors.
Big game hunting is a lucrative business in Zimbabwe with 60 percent of the hunters coming from the US.
Zimbabwe feels it is being punished for its good conservation methods because of the bans in sales of ivory and trophies.
It says it has more elephants than it can carry.
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