Born Free urges UK government to stand firm on hunting trophies
Born Free is deeply concerned by recent media reports that officials from the US Government administration are advising the UK Government not to introduce a blanket ban on the import of hunting trophies.
Successive UK governments have promised, as part of their Election Manifestos, to introduce a ban, providing an opportunity to show moral leadership on the global stage by rejecting a practice that is ethically indefensible and environmentally harmful.
Born Free asserts that trophy hunting is not conservation. The killing of iconic wild animals for “sport” and displaying their body parts perpetuates a colonial model of exploitation, where the lives of elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, rhinos and many other species are reduced to mere commodities. Claims that trophy hunting benefits conservation or local communities remain controversial and unconvincing. Independent evidence consistently shows that revenues generated by trophy hunting are limited, poorly distributed, and dwarfed by the ecological and ethical costs.
Born Free’s Head of Policy Dr Mark Jones said: “At a time of a worldwide biodiversity crisis and growing public concerns for animal welfare and the ethics of lethal wildlife exploitation, delaying a ban or weakening its scope would send entirely the wrong message. The British public has repeatedly voiced strong support for ending the import of hunting trophies, and a ban enjoys widespread, cross-party, parliamentary support. The government must honour that mandate and its own clear manifesto commitment, free from external pressures that prioritise vested interests over wildlife protection and do not reflect the wishes of the British people.
“The UK has a chance to stand up for compassion, science, and responsibility. A comprehensive ban would not only reflect our values; it would also encourage the development of non-lethal, non-extractive, community-centred conservation models such as responsible ecotourism, and initiatives such as Dr Ralph Chami’s Living Nature Economy Framework, that protect wildlife species and critical wildlife habitats while supporting people who live alongside wildlife.
“We urge the UK Government to remain resolute. We must not allow external political interference to undermine progress to protect beleaguered wild animals. History will judge us not by the deals we make, but by the lives we choose to protect.”
Find out more about Born Free’s campaign against trophy hunting: