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\"ZimParks has relaxed conditions relating to the hunting of buffaloes by allowing the use of specific bows and arrows as part of efforts to diversify options for professional hunters and boost revenue from the sport,\" the agency said in a statement.

\"PHOTO:
Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: African buffaloes are pictured on Nov. 16, 2012, at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.
>

Zimbabwe has been at the center of several contentious high-profile hunting incidents.

In 2015, the killing of Cecil the lion sparked international outrage. Cecil, a large black-maned lion, was a well-known animal in a monitoring program and was killed by an American dentist on a hunting trip after he wandered beyond the park's protected boundaries.

Zimbabwe has been capitalizing on its wildlife as a source of revenue. Earlier this month, ZimParks revealed that it made more than $2.7 million from the sale of more than 90 elephants to China and Dubai. The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said that the money raised from the sale would be used to fund conservation efforts.

While hunting elephants is now legal in Botswana, it remains unlikely that American hunters would be able to bring their trophies home. In 2017, a controversy erupted after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to lift the ban on elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe and Zambia. After President Donald Trump tweeted his dissatisfaction with the decision, the Fish and Wildlife Service reversed course and decided to evaluate all applications to import elephant trophies from all countries on a case-by-case basis. Since then, no permits have been issued.

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