Elly Pepper of the Natural Resources Defense Council reacted with glee, and confusion, when President Trump tweeted Friday that he would halt a new rule proposed by his administration to allow hunters to import “trophy” elephants killed in Zimbabwe. Pepper, deputy director of wildlife trade for one of the nation’s most prominent environmental nonprofit groups, had become accustomed to losing out on major Trump administration policy decisions. “This is a lesson that public pressure can be effective in some instances with President Trump, but then again, I can think of so many other environmental issues where that hasn't been the case,” Pepper said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “So I am a little perplexed.” Environmental and animal rights groups concede those reactions from conservatives, more than their own, likely informed Trump’s decision. But it’s a mistake to say the backlash from allies alone forced Trump’s hand, said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of America. Pacelle, whose organization lobbied for the ban on elephant imports imposed by the Obama administration in 2014, noted that Trump has acted decisively in other areas, unafraid of backlash...more
Pacelle was on Capitol Hill last Thursday with Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and an animal rights advocate, meeting with a half-dozen Republican lawmakers pushing for passage of unrelated animal welfare bills. The day before, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would end the 2014 government ban on trophy hunting in Zimbabwe. So a conversation with lawmakers that was supposed to be focused on strengthening the federal law against dog fighting and cockfighting, among other issues, naturally turned to elephants. “It was just pure coincidence that the day before the meeting this news broke, and we at Humane Society reacted to the news and did our best to communicate it to lawmakers,” Pacelle said. Pacelle said Lara Trump brought up the elephant issue to lawmakers during the Thursday meeting, although he would not say how her views were received nor whether they proved decisive in persuading participants. “Lara is a broad-minded animal welfare advocate,” Pacelle said. “I didn't really need to check with her on how she views the issue. I know she is not in favor of trophy hunting of elephants. No animal advocate is.”
Normally, animal welfare issues are handled by USDA. Was Ag Secretary Perdue aware of this lobbying effort? Did he have someone there to represent USDA's interests? And I can't help but wonder which "unrelated animal welfare bills" were the President of the Humane Society and Lara Trump pushing?
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| Wayne Pacelle & Lara Trump...Lobbying together? |
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