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The official said they have new information from officials in Zimbabwe and Zambia to support reversing the ban to allow trophy hunting permits.
Savanna elephant populations declined by 30 percent across 18 countries in Africa from 2007 to 2014, according to the Great Elephant Census published last year, which put their remaining numbers at just over 350,000.
The elephant population declined 6 percent overall in Zimbabwe but dropped by 74 percent within one specific region.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has been talking with wildlife officials in Zimbabwe since the ban was announced in 2014.
Zambian officials also carry out anti-poaching efforts and manage elephant hunting through permits and quotas, according to the Federal Register notice.
In 2016, 30 elephants were allowed to be killed there as trophies but the government reported that only 12 males were killed, according to the notice. »