Kacey Musgraves was among the many Americans who turned to social media to express shock and anger after the Trump administration announced it was lifting a ban on bringing “trophies” of elephants killed in two African countries into the United States.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter turned to Instagram Stories on Friday evening (Nov. 17) to share an infamous photo of President Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., standing over an elephant he has killed and holding up its severed tail, smiling into the camera with a knife in his other hand.
In a series of posts, she explained that she grew up in Texas, where hunting is a part of the culture, and pointed out how sport killing of endangered animals is entirely different than feeding your family, taking a selfie to show that she was so upset, she had been crying. Click through the gallery above to see her thoughts on the matter.
Musgraves also posted a long note to Twitter, saying, “It’s not like these men are creeping though the jungle defending themselves from a man-eater. They pay loads of money to pick from a menu of what animals they want to kill and a guide basically takes them right to it – zero bravery and not much actual skill involved.”
Musgraves was far from alone in her thoughts. In fact, the reversal of the 2014 ban caused such an uproar that by the end of the day, President Trump tweeted that he had decided to reverse the reversal, writing, “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!”
Groups who have opposed the ban for years have claimed that allowing the hunting of some big game animals can actually contribute to conservation and the overall health of the herd. Animal advocates have refuted those claims.
“President Trump and I have talked, and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said in a statement later Friday night. “As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, the issuing of permits is being put on hold as the decision is being removed.”
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