LOS ANGELES, Oct 18: In a break with long-standing practice, the United States administration is proposing to permit limited imports of endangered wild animals as hunting trophies and commercial products, potentially ranging from skins for leather handbags to aquarium pets.

Among the endangered species that officials cite as candidates for import under the upcoming policy is Pakistan’s markhor, a straight-horned wild goat mostly found in the northern areas, that is prized by sports hunters.

The policy shift was intended to provide incentives for poor countries to expand established conservation programmes with profits from the sale of live animals, as well as parts and trophies, US fish and wildlife service officials said.

The change would not affect endangered species in the US.

In the past, the government permitted certain species on the verge of extinction abroad to be brought into the US for research, breeding and educational purposes. This would be the first time in the 30-year history of the Endangered Species Act that the country has allowed such animals killed in the wild to be imported.

The other candidates for import under the policy are the Morelet’s crocodile, found off the coast of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, whose skin is valued for leather goods, and the Asian bonytongue, a tropical freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia.