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The Biden administration strengthened<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/100-elephants-die-africas-largest-national-parks-drought" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> protections for African elephants</a>, but stopped short of issuing a total ban on imports of hunting trophies and live animals, to the disappointment of wildlife activists.In an announcement late last week, the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-quietly-consulted-left-wing-eco-groups-plan-block-millions-acres-montana-ag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service </a>finalized restrictions on elephants imported to the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act, which it said would aid the long-term conservation and survival of elephants in the wild. Prominent wildlife activist organizations have called for the agency to go further and ban such imports altogether."The Service values collaborative conservation of wildlife all around the world and is committed to improving implementation of international conservation law," FWS Director Martha Williams said. "Our actions today will help support range countries’ efforts to manage and conserve African elephant populations and will further protect African elephants that are imported to the United States."She added that FWS would continue to work with African nations to ensure the sustainable management of elephant populations.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/endangered-species-gray-wolves-threaten-farms-ranches-gop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AS GRAY WOLVES TERRORIZE FARMS AND RANCHES, GOP LAWMAKERS DEMAND ENDANGERED SPECIES DELISTING</a>Under the finalized regulations, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/many-zoos-us-phasing-out-elephants-others-embark-breeding-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live African elephants</a>, African elephant sport hunting trophies (such as tusks, hides, feet and tails), and African elephant parts and products may be imported into the U.S., but only from countries that have laws in place to ensure conservation of the species. The regulations also require imports to go to American facilities that are able to properly care for them.The rulemaking further highlights the administration's view that, for <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-takes-aim-hunters-latest-regulation-preventing-americans-from-hunting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hunting to achieve its conservation</a> potential, it must be "well-regulated" and include accountability measures, FWS said. Still, advocates expressed disappointment at FWS' decision to stop short of a full ban on imports and vowed to keep pushing for such a policy at the federal level.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-accelerates-plan-to-unleash-apex-predator-near-rural-community-over-widespread-local-opposition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BIDEN ADMIN ACCELERATES PLAN TO UNLEASH GRIZZLY BEARS NEAR RURAL COMMUNITY OVER WIDESPREAD LOCAL OPPOSITION</a>"I’m truly crushed this rule doesn’t ban trade in elephant hunting trophies to the United States, and it doesn’t even require stable elephant populations to allow trophy imports," said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "These magnificent animals are globally cherished but under threat, and it's high time we stop letting wealthy trophy hunters turn them into decor."Sanerib said the restrictions finalized by the administration are "mouse-sized" and treat elephants like commodities.Jeff Flocken, the president of Humane Society International, applauded the new restrictions, but similarly called for even stronger measures. "We will continue to fight for a full ban on the trade in African elephant hunting trophies, and we hope this sets a precedent that can be applied to other countries and to other imperiled species, like lions, giraffes and leopards," he said.The regulations, which will take effect on May 1, 2024, were first proposed in November 2022. After they were proposed, FWS received thousands of comments from stakeholders, a large majority of whom called for <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/environment/endangered-species" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased conservation of African elephants</a>, according to the agency.<a href="https://foxnews.com/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a>Groups like the Performing Animal Welfare Society, Friends of Animals and the Animal Welfare Institute used their comments to call for the Biden administration to use the rulemaking to issue a complete ban on elephant imports."Friends of Animals urges FWS to prohibit the import of live African elephants. There is no reason to continue to allow these intelligent and social creatures to suffer in captivity," Stephen Hernick, a senior attorney at the Wildlife Law Program for Friends of Animals, wrote in the group's comments last year.

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published: 2024-04-01 17:45:38.000000000 Z
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 guid: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-administration-tightens-rules-african-elephant-imports-stops-short-total-ban
title: Biden administration tightens rules on African elephant imports, stops short
 of total ban
categories:
- eca23f81-86af-5e49-89f4-da91cb36500c
- fnc
- Fox News
- fox-news/politics
- fox-news/world/environment/endangered-species
- fox-news/person/joe-biden
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- fox-news/world/world-regions/africa
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content: The Biden administration strengthened<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/100-elephants-die-africas-largest-national-parks-drought"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener"> protections for African elephants</a>, but stopped
 short of issuing a total ban on imports of hunting trophies and live animals, to
 the disappointment of wildlife activists.In an announcement late last week,
 the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-quietly-consulted-left-wing-eco-groups-plan-block-millions-acres-montana-ag"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service </a>finalized restrictions
 on elephants imported to the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act, which it said
 would aid the long-term conservation and survival of elephants in the wild. Prominent
 wildlife activist organizations have called for the agency to go further and ban
 such imports altogether."The Service values collaborative conservation of
 wildlife all around the world and is committed to improving implementation of international
 conservation law," FWS Director Martha Williams said. "Our actions today will help
 support range countries’ efforts to manage and conserve African elephant populations
 and will further protect African elephants that are imported to the United States."She
 added that FWS would continue to work with African nations to ensure the sustainable
 management of elephant populations.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/endangered-species-gray-wolves-threaten-farms-ranches-gop"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">AS GRAY WOLVES TERRORIZE FARMS AND RANCHES,
 GOP LAWMAKERS DEMAND ENDANGERED SPECIES DELISTING</a>Under the finalized
 regulations, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/many-zoos-us-phasing-out-elephants-others-embark-breeding-projects"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">live African elephants</a>, African elephant sport
 hunting trophies (such as tusks, hides, feet and tails), and African elephant parts
 and products may be imported into the U.S., but only from countries that have laws
 in place to ensure conservation of the species. The regulations also require imports
 to go to American facilities that are able to properly care for them.The
 rulemaking further highlights the administration's view that, for <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-takes-aim-hunters-latest-regulation-preventing-americans-from-hunting"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">hunting to achieve its conservation</a> potential,
 it must be "well-regulated" and include accountability measures, FWS said. Still,
 advocates expressed disappointment at FWS' decision to stop short of a full ban
 on imports and vowed to keep pushing for such a policy at the federal level.<a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-accelerates-plan-to-unleash-apex-predator-near-rural-community-over-widespread-local-opposition"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">BIDEN ADMIN ACCELERATES PLAN TO UNLEASH
 GRIZZLY BEARS NEAR RURAL COMMUNITY OVER WIDESPREAD LOCAL OPPOSITION</a>"I’m
 truly crushed this rule doesn’t ban trade in elephant hunting trophies to the United
 States, and it doesn’t even require stable elephant populations to allow trophy
 imports," said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological
 Diversity. "These magnificent animals are globally cherished but under threat, and
 it's high time we stop letting wealthy trophy hunters turn them into decor."Sanerib
 said the restrictions finalized by the administration are "mouse-sized" and treat
 elephants like commodities.Jeff Flocken, the president of Humane Society
 International, applauded the new restrictions, but similarly called for even stronger
 measures. "We will continue to fight for a full ban on the trade in African
 elephant hunting trophies, and we hope this sets a precedent that can be applied
 to other countries and to other imperiled species, like lions, giraffes and leopards,"
 he said.The regulations, which will take effect on May 1, 2024, were first
 proposed in November 2022. After they were proposed, FWS received thousands of comments
 from stakeholders, a large majority of whom called for <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/environment/endangered-species"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased conservation of African elephants</a>,
 according to the agency.<a href="https://foxnews.com/download" target="_blank"
 rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a>Groups
 like the Performing Animal Welfare Society, Friends of Animals and the Animal Welfare
 Institute used their comments to call for the Biden administration to use the rulemaking
 to issue a complete ban on elephant imports."Friends of Animals urges FWS
 to prohibit the import of live African elephants. There is no reason to continue
 to allow these intelligent and social creatures to suffer in captivity," Stephen
 Hernick, a senior attorney at the Wildlife Law Program for Friends of Animals, wrote
 in the group's comments last year.
summary: The Biden administration is implementing new restrictions on the trade of
 elephant trophies, but declined to issue an outright ban, sparking rebuke from some
 advocates.
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url: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-administration-tightens-rules-african-elephant-imports-stops-short-total-ban
image: https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/931/523/Biden-elephants.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

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