Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revision to the Section 4(d) Rule for the African Elephant

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or FWS), propose to revise the rule for the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) promulgated under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The intended purposes are threefold: To increase protection for African elephants in light of the recent rise in international trade of live African elephants by establishing ESA enhancement permit requirements for international trade in live elephants and specific enhancement requirements for the import of wild- sourced elephants, as well as requirements to ensure that proposed recipients of live African elephants are suitably equipped to house and care for them; to clarify the existing enhancement requirement during our evaluation of an application for a permit to import African elephant sport-hunted trophies; and to incorporate a Party's designation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) National Legislation Project into the decision-making process for the import of live African elephants, African elephant sport-hunted trophies, and African elephant parts and products other than ivory and sport-hunted trophies. We anticipate these measures will affect implementation in foreign countries of management measures that enhance African elephant conservation.