{"id":2191216,"date":"2026-05-30T18:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T17:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2191216"},"modified":"2026-05-30T09:10:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:10:30","slug":"trump-called-trophy-hunting-a-horror-show-but-permitted-300-plus-elephant-trophy-imports-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/trump-called-trophy-hunting-a-horror-show-but-permitted-300-plus-elephant-trophy-imports-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump called trophy hunting a \u201chorror show,\u201d but permitted 300-plus elephant trophy imports in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. issued more than 300 elephant trophy import permits during the first year of President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, according to records obtained by U.S.-based NGO the\u00a0Center for Biological Diversity\u00a0(CBD). It\u2019s the most ever issued on Trump\u2019s watch in a year, and indicates that as many as 300 elephants were killed. Trophies are usually the taxidermied heads or feet, which hunters display in their homes as d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n

Tanya Sanerib, the center\u2019s international legal director who analyzed the data, called the permit numbers \u201calarming.\u201d It\u2019s a 154% increase in the total number of elephant trophy import permits issued during all of Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n

Because elephants are listed as threatened under the\u00a0U.S. Endangered Species Act\u00a0(ESA), importers need a\u00a0permit\u00a0from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to bring elephant trophies into the country. In 2018, the agency issued 114 permits. That dropped to just four in 2019 and none in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n

Receiving a permit does not necessarily mean an elephant was killed that year. Some hunters apply for permits before going on a hunting trip; others apply after an animal is killed. Each permit is valid for a year.<\/p>\n

African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana<\/em>) are an\u00a0endangered\u00a0species. In the 1800s, about\u00a026 <\/a>million<\/a>\u00a0roamed the continent. But poaching for the international trade in ivory crashed their numbers: Since 1965,\u00a060% of them were slaughtered\u00a0for their tusks.<\/p>\n

Only about 415,000 remain today. While the ivory trade has\u00a0declined, this wide-ranging pachyderm\u2019s habitat continues to shrink. It\u2019s lost as much as\u00a080%\u00a0of its former territory to farms, ranches, mining operations and other human development. There\u2019s also conflict with people: When elephants raid crops or enter villages in search of food, they\u2019re often killed in retaliation.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/a>
A taxidermied elephant head in the George Eastman House, a photography museum in New York. Image by Barbara Puorro Galasso via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Botswana tops the list of elephant trophy exports<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The U.S. is the world\u2019s largest importer of hunting trophies of all kinds. More than 72,600 mammals listed under CITES, the international wildlife trade convention that regulates trade in endangered plants and animals, were killed and brought into the country between 2014 and 2018, according to a\u00a0report\u00a0from\u00a0Humane World for Animals\u00a0(previously called Humane Society International). About 10,000 of those imported as trophies are listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Southern Africa is a top destination for hunters who pay to kill the choicest animals. \u201cWith so many trophy hunters coming from the United States, our government should be helping to police the trophy trade, but Trump officials are instead rubberstamping imports of tusks and heads,\u201d Sanerib said.<\/p>\n

According to her analysis, nearly two-thirds of the imported elephant trophies came from Botswana, followed by Zimbabwe and Namibia. Botswana is home to the\u00a0world\u2019s largest elephant population, about 140,000. It reopened elephant trophy hunting in 2019, after a pause of five years. Recent surveys show elephant\u00a0numbers are stable\u00a0overall in the country, but are declining in areas where hunting is permitted.<\/p>\n

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\"Botswana<\/a>
Botswana has a stable population of elephants overall, but recent surveys show their numbers are decreasing in areas where hunting is permitted. Image by \u00a9 Gabriela Moreno via iNaturalist CC BY-NC 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Reports question benefits of trophy hunting<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Botswana\u2019s government has long\u00a0defended its decision\u00a0to reinstate hunting as a way to deal with increasing elephant numbers and rising human-elephant conflicts, and says that hunting also provides livelihoods. In 2024, Botswana\u2019s President Mokgweetsi Masisi\u00a0famously offered\u00a0to send 20,000 elephants to Germany after Berlin suggested imposing stricter limits on trophy hunting imports.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the government permitted the hunting of 410 of its elephants, and\u00a0increased\u00a0it to 430 this year.<\/p>\n

Trophy hunting is a pursuit for the wealthy, who parachute into the country \u2014 often from the Global North, with many from the U.S. \u2014 and pay up to $28,500 just to kill an elephant. This fee, also called the trophy fee, is determined by professional outfitters, based on market demand and licensing fees. Data collected by\u00a0Humane World for Animals\u00a0show that a 14-day luxury hunting excursion, including trophy fees, accommodations, food, a professional guide fee and other costs in Botswana could run as much as $87,000 for elephants with sizeable tusks.<\/p>\n

Along with the hunters, most of the people associated with the industry are also foreigners: hunting outfitters, lodge owners and landowners, among others.\u00a0Research\u00a0from Botswana shows that foreign-owned safari companies and investors dominate the country\u2019s tourism industry. They take most of the profits, while locals are left scrambling for low-paying jobs. It\u2019s a similar story in other Southern African countries, such as\u00a0Namibia.<\/p>\n

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\"Elephant<\/a>
Taxidermied elephant feet tables for sale at Circle M\u2019s fall auction in October 2021 at Jackson County Fairgrounds, Maquoketa, Iowa. Image courtesy of Humane World for Animals.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe international trophy hunting industry acts as a veritable wealth and resource drain in many instances throughout Africa to foreign-owned hunting outfitters and private landowners,\u201d said Sarah Veatch, wildlife policy principal at Humane World for Animals. \u201cThis destructive, unjust system is driving the killing of elephants for the sake of a trophy, prioritizing elitist international demand over equitable, community-centered conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2023 independent\u00a0investigation\u00a0by journalist Adam Cruise found elephant trophy hunting did \u201cnot provide any meaningful income for any of the rural communities\u201d in Botswana. Most funds remained with wealthy hunting operators. Cruise also found that killing elephants for money did not mitigate conflicts with the pachyderms.<\/p>\n

Politicians in Botswana\u00a0accuse the government\u00a0of being influenced by the U.S. pro-trophy hunting lobby and raised questions over whether these organizations have played a role in drawing up hunting quotas.<\/p>\n

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\"An<\/a>
An elephant foot waste basket confiscated by the USFWS. Taxidermied heads and feet are common \u2018trophies\u2019 that hunters bring back to the U.S. Image by Ryan Hagerty\/USFWS (Public Domain).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Botswana\u2019s hunting numbers unsustainable, scientists say<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some scientists argue that taking out about 0.3% of the population each year is unsustainable. One important reason is that trophy hunters target larger, older bulls or elephants with big tusks, called supertuskers. Half of all mature bulls in the population where hunting is permitted will end up being shot for sport under current quotas, according to an\u00a0analysis\u00a0by Botswana-based NGO\u00a0Elephants Without Borders.<\/p>\n

Mature bulls are vital in elephant societies, where older animals\u00a0pass on their knowledge to the young. Killing them also hurts breeding and genetic diversity, as big tusks disappear from the gene pool, Sanerib said.<\/p>\n

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\"Mature<\/a>
Mature bulls are vital to the genetic health of the population and are important within elephant societies, who pass on their knowledge to the young. Trophy hunters specifically target \u201csupertuskers.\u201d Image \u00a9 My World of Bird Photography via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

In addition to shrinking habitats, poaching and retaliatory killings, Botswana\u2019s elephants face another threat: changing climate. As one of the world\u2019s most drought-prone countries, Botswana declared\u00a0recent years as \u201cextreme drought.\u201d In 2024,\u00a0350 elephants died\u00a0after drinking water poisoned by toxic algal blooms; scientists say the bloom was\u00a0exacerbated\u00a0by climate change.<\/p>\n

Scientists argue that Botswana did not consider these impacts on elephants when arriving at the current hunting quotas. \u201cOur models show that current quotas of 0.3% result in a relatively small pool of mature bulls and a population that is sensitive to increases in mortality from drought or poaching,\u201d the Elephants Without Borders report said. It recommends limiting trophy hunting to a maximum of 0.2% of the total population per year, which would mean cutting the current quota by a third.<\/p>\n

Increase in permit numbers a \u2018policy failure\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The steep increase in import permits issued under the current Trump administration is in sharp contrast to the president\u2019s expressed views on trophy hunting. In a social media post in 2017, Trump\u00a0called\u00a0it a \u201chorror show\u201d and said he\u2019d be \u201cvery hard pressed\u201d to change his mind about how killing helps conservation in any way.<\/p>\n

In 2018, media\u00a0reports\u00a0revealed that the administration had formed an advisory board, the\u00a016-member\u00a0International Wildlife Conservation Council, to promote big game hunting and rewrite federal rules on importing the heads and skins of threatened species, including lions, rhinos and elephants.<\/p>\n

Conservation groups filed a lawsuit,\u00a0charging\u00a0\u00a0that government agencies had \u201cflagrantly violated federal law by appointing a council packed with trophy hunters, firearm executives and representatives of businesses with close ties to the Trump administration.\u201d Four members were donors who solicited millions for Trump\u2019s campaign. In February 2020, the board was disbanded<\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>
In 2017, President Trump\u2019s tweet on the social media platform X called trophy hunting a \u2018horror show.\u2019 Image via social media (Fair use).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trump\u2019s eldest son, Donald Jr.,\u00a0is known to be an avid trophy hunter\u00a0who has killed animals around the world.\u00a0Photos\u00a0have surfaced over the years of him and his brother, Eric, posing with dead animals, including a\u00a0leopard, a\u00a0Cape buffalo\u00a0and a\u00a0crocodile, among others. A 2019 hunt of an endangered Argali sheep in Mongolia\u00a0reportedly cost\u00a0U.S. taxpayers more than $75,000 for Donald Jr.\u2019s Secret Service protection.<\/p>\n

When a species is listed under the ESA, the USFWS is obligated to protect it. That includes spending public money for conservation efforts. Trophy hunting is\u00a0permitted under Section 10\u00a0if it increases the overall survival of the species. Whether trophy hunting, an industry rife with\u00a0corruption, actually does that, and\u00a0who it ultimately benefits, is hugely contested.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the U.S.\u00a0strengthened its regulations\u00a0on elephant trophies to ensure the money from killing animals benefits conservation. This is a tall ask for an agency that lost\u00a018% of its staff\u00a0last year in government layoffs, according to a source who previously worked at USFWS in a leadership capacity and spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

Issuing permits to kill ESA-listed animals is a \u201cpolicy failure,\u201d Sanerib said. \u201cPermitting this activity, to my mind, doesn\u2019t align with the provision in the law.<\/p>\n

In May 2025,\u00a0Safari Club International\u00a0(SCI), a U.S.-based pro-hunting organization,\u00a0petitioned\u00a0the USFWS to roll back some protections for African elephants under the ESA so it would be easier to import trophies.<\/p>\n

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\"Elephant<\/a>
Elephant skin boots sold in Reno, Nevada. Image courtesy of Humane World for Animals.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

The petition calls the current regulations \u201cunnecessary, overly burdensome and inconsistent with regulatory reform initiatives\u201d under Trump, and urges the agency to accept the exporting countries\u2019 determination that trophy hunting does not harm the species.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a scenario akin to the fox guarding the hen house,\u201d Sanerib said. \u201cIf [Safari Club International\u2019s] petition was implemented, USFWS would no longer be required to determine that import of a sport-hunted trophy enhances the survival of African elephants.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also means that hunters would no longer need an ESA permit to import their elephant trophies.<\/p>\n

As of now, it\u2019s unclear how the Trump administration will handle this petition, Sanerib said. \u201cWe are keeping a careful watch for any updates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Citations:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mbaiwa, J. E. (2017). Poverty or riches: Who benefits from the booming tourism industry in Botswana?\u00a0Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 35<\/em>(1), 93-112. doi:10.1080\/02589001.2016.1270424<\/a><\/p>\n

Kalvelage, L., Diez, J. R., & Bollig, M. (2020). How much remains? Local value capture from tourism in Zambezi, Namibia.\u00a0Tourism Geographies, 24<\/em>(4-5), 759-780. doi:10.1080\/14616688.2020.1786154<\/a><\/p>\n

Lomeo, D., Tebbs, E. J., Babayani, N. D., Chadwick, M. A., Gondwe, M. J., Jungblut, A. D., \u2026 Songhurst, A. C. (2024). Remote sensing and spatial analysis reveal unprecedented cyanobacteria bloom dynamics associated with elephant mass mortality.\u00a0Science of The Total Environment<\/em>,\u00a0957<\/em>, 177525. doi:10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2024.177525<\/a><\/p>\n

Peyman, A. J., & Styles, M. A. (2024). Examining the influence of corruption on the practice of trophy hunting in South Africa.\u00a0Conservation<\/em>,\u00a04<\/em>(4), 577-593. doi:10.3390\/conservation4040035<\/a><\/p>\n

This article <\/a>by Spoorthy Raman was first published by Mongabay on 18 May 2026. Lead Image: African savanna elephants are endangered, after years of poaching for their ivory decimated their numbers. Now, their habitats are fast-shrinking due to human activities. Image \u00a9 mariedelport via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0).<\/em><\/p>\n

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