The NRA has filed an appeal on an import ban on trophies of African elephants that are hunted for sport in Zimbabwe. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth upheld the ban in September.
The ban was enacted under the guise of stopping poaching, but it’s founded on limited data and anecdotal evidence—with no actual facts presented on how a ban on the import of legally taken, sport-hunted elephants would help prevent poaching. In contrast, hunting has been hailed as a valuable tool of wildlife conservation in Africa because it contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to the economic well-being of local communities. Limiting legally taken trophies from sustainable populations is, in fact, an ill-advised and scientifically unsupportable restriction.
Safari Club International, which supports hunters' rights and promotes wildlife conservation efforts, joined with the NRA in filing an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals last Wednesday. The appeal challenges U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth's decision.
