Trophy Hunting
Trophy hunting is the practice of killing animals and displaying them as trophies. This frequently debated topic can create polarising views and debates, but by far the majority of the British public wants to see a ban on trophy hunting and especially the UK’s role in this blood sport.
As part of its 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government promised to deliver the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members Bill. After being dropped in October 2023, we are pleased to announce that a new iteration of the Bill has been introduced by John Spellar MP.
For the sake of the thousands of animals killed due to this so-called sport, we must ensure this Bill passes through Parliament quickly, unattested and unamended.
What is our policy on trophy hunting?
We want to see a total ban on the import and export of hunting trophies into the UK, with no loopholes that may assist in the covert trade of animal parts.
We will fight against any pro-trophy hunting amendments, such as a ‘conservation enhancement exemption’. This would allow UK trophy hunters to import the parts of critically endangered species like the black rhino, arguing that the money used to fund the hunt promotes the conservation of the species.
We will demand that captive bred animals, such as those in the canned hunting industry, are not left behind. More than 8,000 captive-bred lions are kept in more than 250 breeding facilities in South Africa, and we cannot allow the UK to be complicit any longer. To kill a lion that cannot escape and has been hand-reared and taught to trust humans is not a sport, it is a slaughter. You can read more about our work to end big cat farming in South Africa through our Vicious Cycle Report.
The current state of affairs
In 2021, the Government promised to introduce one of the toughest bans on hunting trophy imports in the world, encompassing nearly 7,000 endangered and threatened species.
Six months later, Henry Smith MP for Crawley tabled a government-backed Private Member’s Bill: The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.
After campaigning for a ban on the import of hunting trophies for years, the Trophy Hunting (Import Prohibition) Bill successfully passed through all stages in the House of Commons, going on to be debated in the House of Lords in late summer 2023.
However, the Bill was sadly dropped in October 2023 after being held hostage in the House of Lords at Committee Stage by a handful of pro-hunting Peers.
The Bill had its Second Reading on 22 March 2024, where it successfully completed this stage and secured Government backing. We hope that the Committee Stage is scheduled as quickly as possible so that this important legislation can progress through Parliament and into law.
How you can help
Keep your eyes peeled as we will likely be calling on you again to urge Committee Members to support the Bill when Committee Stage is announced.
A new report supported by FOUR PAWS has busted 14 of the biggest myths put forward by the trophy hunting industry. The powerful report, which is also supported by Born Free, Jane Goodall Institute, Pro Wildlife and the African Sanctuary Alliance can be read here.
