The Trump administration has reversed a ban on importing trophies from elephants killed in Zimbabwe and Zambia, to international outcry from wildlife organisations across the world.
The move reverses the ban put in place by the Obama administration in 2014 and is a heavy blow to the international campaign to ban the ivory trade, whose backers include Prince Harry and Prince William.
It also comes after the president's sons, Donald Jr and Eric Trump, were heavily criticised in 2015 after being photographed with a leopard and other big game kills.
Though elephants are listed as endangered specie, the hunting and killing of them is legal in parts of Africa and the Trump administration argues it helps manage their population numbers.
The US Fishing and Wildlife Service said, as it announced the decision, that new information from officials in Zimbabwe and Zambia supports reversing the ban to allow trophy hunting permits.
In a statement, it said: "Legal, well-regulated sport hunting as part of a sound management programme can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation."
However, wildlife organisation across the globe have condemned the decision and argue that it will only encourage illegal poaching of elephants.
Humane Society of the United States said banning trophies from Zimbabwe should continue because it is "one of the most corrupt countries on earth".
The country's deposed leader Robert Mugabe celebrated his birthday by dining on an elephant, said the society.
Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive, said: "It's a venal and nefarious pay-to-slay arrangement that Zimbabwe has set up with the trophy hunting industry.
"What kind of message does it send to say to the world that poor Africans who are struggling to survive cannot kill elephants in order to use or sell their parts to make a living, but that it's just fine for rich Americans to slay the beasts for their tusks to keep as trophies?"
Step forward or backward?
Charlie Mayhew, chief executive of UK charity Tusk, said: "Tusk views this announcement as a regressive step which sends all the wrong signals to the international community that has been making great strides recently in the campaign to halt the illegal wildlife trade. This is a setback in the fight to ban all illegal wildlife trade."
Kenya - based organisation Save the Elephants also condemned the move.
"How someone could want to shoot such an intelligent, empathetic animal as an elephant is beyond me,'"said chief executive Frank Pope.
"But what is most concerning for elephants is that renewed imports of trophy ivory into the US might undermine the all-important ivory trade bans put in place by America and China.
"China continues to show strong leadership and will close all ivory trade within her borders by the end of the year. Up to now American actions on elephants and ivory have been admirable. The fire of the ivory trade seems to be dying. The last thing we need is a sudden blast of oxygen from a misguided policy change."
Conservation group The Elephant Project Tweeted its condemnation of the lifting of the ban saying: "Reprehensible behaviour by the Trump Admin. 100 elephants a day are already killed. This will lead to more poaching."
According to the 2016 Great Elephant Census, the population plummeted by roughly 30 per cent, or 144,000 from 2007 to 2014, dropping 6 percent in Zimbabwe alone and there are now 350,000 elephants remaining on the African Savanna.
The rule change applies to elephants shot in Zimbabwe on or after January 21, 2016, and to those legally permitted to be hunted before the end of next year.
A similar rule has been put into place for Zambia, where the Great Elephant Census estimates the animal's numbers have declined from 200,000 in 1972 to a little more than 21,000 last year.
But Chris Cox, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action welcomed the decision, saying it was long overdue.
"By lifting the import ban on lion trophies in Zimbabwe and Zambia, the Trump Administration underscored the importance of sound scientific wildlife management and regulated hunting to the survival and enhancement of game species in this country and worldwide," he said.
"This is a significant step forward in having hunting receive the recognition it deserves as a tool of wildlife management, which had been all but buried in the previous administration."
The Safari Club International, which advocates "sustainable use hunting", also welcomed the FWS decision.
"These positive findings for Zimbabwe and Zambia demonstrate that the Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes that hunting is beneficial to wildlife and that these range countries know how to manage their elephant populations," President Paul Babaz said in a statement.
"We appreciate the efforts of the Service and the US Department of the Interior to remove barriers to sustainable use conservation for African wildlife."