Ellen DeGeneres, Diplo, & More Blast Trump Elephant Trophy Ban Reversal

In one of the most shocking and confounding examples of Pres. Trump's many reversals of efforts enacted by the Obama White House, the administration announced this week that it plans to allow American big game hunters to bring trophies of elephants they kill in Zimbabwe and Zambia back to the U.S. The move turns back a ban put in place by the Obama administration in 2014 to protect elephants, which are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

A provision of the Act allows governments to give permits to import such trophies if evidence exists that the slaughter of the animals benefits the conservation of that species, an argument a Trump administration official made citing new information from officials in the two African nations, according to ABC News. The move comes amid news that the population of Savanna elephants declined by 30 percent across 18 African countries from 2007-2014, with the Great Elephant Census putting the remaining numbers at just over 350,000.

The move drew swift outrage and calls for protest from a number of celebrities decrying the move, including Ellen DeGeneres, who vowed to urge her viewers to keep the pressure up to reverse the move, as well as many others, including Diplo, Zendaya, Sara Bareilles, No Doubt's Tony Kanal, Nikki Reed, Judd Apatow and Rachel Antonoff. Check out their responses below:

Photo: Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content