The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced its receipt of an application from the Smithsonian National Zoo for an Endangered Species Act permit to import two female Asian elephants from the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands. Asian elephants have been designated with the highest level of protection available on the Endangered Species List and the CITES appendices. Applicants who wish to import Asian elephants into the United States must demonstrate that the underlying purpose of the import enhances the propagation or survival of the species. FWS is accepting comments through November 18, 2021.