136 NGOs demand ban on hunting trophy imports

In a joint position paper 136 nature and animal welfare organisations from around the world, including 45 NGOs from African countries, have spoken out against trophy hunting and are calling on policymakers to ban imports.

Trophy hunting is one of the worst forms of wildlife exploitation and is neither ethical nor sustainable. Given the human-caused global biodiversity crisis, it is unacceptable that the exploitation of wildlife solely for the acquisition of a hunting trophy is still permitted and that trophies can still be legally imported. It is high time that governments put an end to this harmful practice.

Dr. Mona Schweizer of Pro Wildlife

Between 2014 and 2018, nearly 125,000 trophies from CITES-protected species were imported worldwide, with the USA and the EU being the largest importers.

Trophy hunting can adversely affect the survival of species and undermine conservation efforts. Trophy hunters often target rare and endangered species or animals with impressive physical characteristics, removing individuals who are important for reproduction and the stabilisation of social groups. By targeting such animals, trophy hunters contribute directly and indirectly to population decline, disruption of social structure, and a reduction in resilience. The industry increases demand for parts and products derived from endangered species and creates incentives for their killing through bounty systems and other activities.

Furthermore, the killing of animals of protected and endangered species is often a privilege of foreign hobby hunters, while access to wildlife and land for local people is frequently restricted. This disenfranchisement of local communities, combined with the socially destabilizing effects of trophy hunting on many species, can intensify rather than reduce human-wildlife conflict. Such situations are further aggravated by the fact that the trophy hunting industry brings no meaningful economic benefit to local communities — quite contrary to what proponents of trophy hunting claim. Since most hunts take place on private land and the hunting sector is plagued by corruption, revenue from trophy hunting typically ends up in the pockets of hunting operators, private farm owners, and local elites.

Trophy hunting causes immeasurable animal suffering while doing little or nothing for the protection of wildlife or local communities. In fact, in many cases trophy hunters remove key individuals from sensitive populations, damaging their social and genetic integrity. It is time to put a permanent end to trophy hunting while simultaneously seeking alternative, more effective and more humane ways to raise funds for wildlife conservation and the development of local communities.

Dr. Mark Jones, Head of Policy at the Born Free Foundation

Trophy hunting not only hinders conservation efforts and provides minimal economic benefits, but also raises serious ethical and animal welfare concerns. Shooting animals for fun merely to obtain a trophy as a status symbol is ethically unjustifiable, disregards their intrinsic value by reducing them to a commodity, and places a «price tag» on death that reflects the amount foreign hobby hunters are willing to pay for the kill. In addition, trophy hunters frequently employ hunting methods that further intensify animal suffering, such as the use of bows and arrows, muzzle-loaders, handguns, or dogs that chase animals for hours until exhaustion, thereby creating perverse incentives.

«Economic benefit — which is at best minimal in the trophy hunting industry — is no excuse for permitting the inhumane killing of animals for entertainment purposes or for offsetting the often irreversible biological and ecological damage inflicted on protected species, when alternative, more lucrative sources of revenue exist for development and conservation efforts», said Dr. Joanna Swabe, Senior Director of Public Affairs at Humane Society International/Europe. «As the world's largest importers of hunting trophies, the US and the EU have a moral obligation to no longer support this harmful industry through the importation of hunting trophies and to pursue policies that promote ethical forms of foreign aid, tourism, and industry«, Swabe added.

In many countries around the world, citizens oppose trophy hunting and the importation of hunting trophies. Surveys in the EU, Switzerland, and the USA confirm that between 75 and 96% of respondents oppose trophy hunting and support a ban on trophy imports. In South Africa, the largest African exporter of hunting trophies of protected species, a majority of 64% oppose trophy hunting.

Given that the unethical practice of trophy hunting has been harming species conservation and the economy for decades, a change in policy is long overdue. Together with a united voice of 136 non-governmental organizations from around the world, we call on governments to take responsibility for the protection of species and biodiversity and to ban the importation of hunting trophies.