The number of permits for importing African elephant hunting trophies has increased dramatically in the United States according to an investigation by the Centre for Biological Diversity (CBD).
The charity, which has 1.8 million members and is dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places, used the 1967 US Freedom of information Act to obtain records from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which issues the permits.
It found that more than 300 elephant trophies were allowed to be imported in 2025. This compares with just 114 elephant trophies registered as imported in 2018 under the first Trump administration. Permits are required for importing trophies in the US under the 1973 Endangered Species Act.
President Trump had previously suspended the importing of elephant trophies in 2017 though this was relaxed to a case-by-case basis in his second term.
“Why is a president who once decried elephant hunting rolling out the red carpet for the elitist practice of killing these imperiled animals for décor? This about-face is terrible for Africa’s beleaguered elephants,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the CBD.
Popular in the US, trophy hunting is a controversial practice whereby hunters pay a significant fee to shoot and kill wild animals, taking a horn, tusk or other body part home as ‘trophy’.
Supporters of trophy hunting say that it brings valuable income to poorer countries, and this money supports local rural communities and conservation efforts. Opponents say that it adds to the already considerable pressure on elephant populations from poaching – up to 30,000 are thought to be lost to illegal hunting each year.
In addition, in the case of elephants, hunters tend to seek out large mature males, the loss of which can imbalance the wider population, affecting breeding success, genetic health and social functioning. Particularly vulnerable are the so-called ‘super-tuskers’ – males with tusks weighing 100lb (45kg) or more, known by trophy hunters as ‘hundred pounders’. There are thought to be as few as 24-80 super tuskers left in the whole of Africa and their loss would be devastating for the genetic diversity of the African elephant.
The majority of the elephant trophies in 2025 – 65% – came from Botswana. The southern African nation reopened trophy hunting on its land in 2019 after a pause of five years. In 2026, it has licensed an increased annual trophy hunting quota of 430 elephants. This is 0.4% of the total wild population and CBD reports that local scientists recommend taking only 0.2% (280) of the animals to ensure the breeding population is sustainable.
Zimbabwe (19%) and Namibia (9%) are the other significant centres for elephant trophy hunting. The CBD also fears that lobbying from pro-trophy hunting organisations in the US could lead to the weakening of the Endangered Animals Act and the need for permits for importing trophies to be dropped altogether.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted for comment.
This article by Debbie Graham was first published by Discover Wildlife on 12 May 2026. Lead Image: Michael J. Cohen, Photographer / Getty Images.
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