The proposed ban by the UK government would prohibit the importation of hunting trophies from endangered animals, whether wild or bred in captivity for the purpose of hunting.
During the 2019 election, the British Conservative Party promised to prohibit trophy hunters from bringing trophies from endangered animals into the UK.
The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (CBTH) estimates that around 300 trophies from endangered animals have been brought to Britain since that pledge was made.
The British government has finally announced a proposal to impose “one of the toughest bans in the world” on the importation of hunting trophies from endangered animals, nearly two years after promising to do so.
The proposed ban by the UK government would prohibit the importation of hunting trophies from endangered animals, whether wild or bred in captivity for the purpose of hunting. Anyone who breaks the rules could face a five-year prison sentence.
Environment Secretary George Eustice, laying out the government’s strategy today, said he was “appalled at the thought of hunters bringing back trophies,” pleading for stronger protections for endangered animals.
Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the CBTH, praised the proposal but chastised the government for the two-year delay, claiming that many animals had been “cruelly and needlessly killed” during that time. He urged the government to bring the bill up for a vote “as soon as possible.”
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Currently, the government’s measure aims to protect around 7,000 animals, including the “Big Five” – buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos – that are currently threatened by international trade.
