Trump administration reverses ban on shipping elephant trophies to America from hunts in Zimbabwe. Gee, I wonder why?

Courtesy of WaPo:

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the remains of elephants legally hunted in Zimbabwe and Zambia can now be imported to the United States as trophies, reversing a ban under former president Barack Obama. 

African elephants are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that large sums paid for permits to hunt the animals could actually help them “by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation,” according to an agency statement. 

Under the Obama administration, elephant-hunting trophies were allowed in countries such as South Africa but not in Zimbabwe because Fish and Wildlife decided in 2015 that the nation had failed to prove that its management of elephants enhanced the population. Zimbabwe could not confirm its elephant population in a way that was acceptable to U.S. officials, and did not demonstrate an ability to implement laws to protect it. 

The Service’s new statement did not specify what had changed in that country — where the African elephant population has declined 6 percent in recent years, according to the Great Elephant Census project — to allow hunting trophies. A spokeswoman said an explanation will be published in the Federal Register on Friday.

Yeah I really don't get it.

I guess there is just no part of my body that is so small and shame inducing which would require that I murder these magnificent animals in order to make up for it. 

Well it looks like Todd Palin has made a full, and somewhat miraculous recovery.

Courtesy of the Bride of Frankenstein's Facebook page: 

And the men... they brought home dinner. 

Fresh organic pure protein from God's green earth. (I can't get skunked! It's my turn next.)

 I am usually somewhat underwhelmed with the Toad, but I have to say that this is quite a feat considering that it was only six month ago that he was in intensive care.

Remember Palin's description of his injuries?

He's still in ICU under care of a superbly skilled staff. A long surgery repaired numerous breaks in Todd's upper body, docs essentially lifted and secured every rib with steel bands, anchored the broken clavicle with plates and rods, set aside repair of a broken shoulder for later (also later are more minor things like ACL/MCL knee injuries), still mechanically inflating one collapsed lung while other bruised lung, liver, etc., are watched; chest drain is working overtime to keep things clear.

Numerous breaks, steel bands holding his ribs in place, a deflated lung, these are life threatening injuries.

So even to walk around on pavement without stopping to catch his breath or leaning on something for support is impressive, but to trudge through the Alaskan wilderness while packing 60 to 80 pounds of antlers is quite a feat indeed.

Especially for a fifty two year old man, whose recuperative abilities will have slowed down significantly.

Now before all of you start jumping on Todd for killing this magnificent animal, you need to remember that in Alaska hunting is something that almost EVERY Alaskan male does at least a few times in their lives. And many do it every season.

I have known doctors, lawyers, psychiatrists, bankers, you name it who drop everything during hunting season and head on out to shoot something. And going fishing is almost universal up here, for both sexes.

Now as for Sarah going hunting, that is another story altogether.

 Yes Palin certainly does love to have her picture taken with dead things.

But from what I have heard it is quite unlikely that she killed ANY of them.

In fact, according to Levi, Todd is not much of a hunter either, and the trophies on his walls were purchased and not shot by anybody in the family.

However it feeds into Palin's mythology about her family that they are seen as big time hunters.

And she is not above faking a trophy, or a hunt, or just about anything else to further that agenda.

Not that I am saying that is what happened in this case, I am only pointing out that there is a pattern.

Picture of the day.

Courtesy of an IM regular.

This is what the Palin gals call a successful hunt.