EU Takes Aim at Trophy Hunting
Last week, the European Parliament hosted a «Trophy Hunting Conference», to which British MEP Neena Gill had extended invitations.
The conference marked the launch of an ambitious goal: a Written Declaration to ban the import of hunting trophies into the EU.
The months-long efforts of MEPs for Wildlife and other Members of the European Parliament are bearing fruit: the European Commission adopted an action plan for a coordinated EU response to illegal wildlife trade.
This action plan comprises 32 measures. Among other things, it calls for better-coordinated law enforcement within the EU through the police agency Europol, as well as improved police cooperation with destination, transit, and source countries.
Trophy hunting, illegal wildlife trade, and poaching threaten biodiversity, the Commission declared. If current trends continue, there will be no wild rhinoceroses or elephants left in 25 years.
On average, an elephant is killed by trophy hunters every 15 minutes. Across Africa, there are estimated to be no more than 20’000 lions remaining. More than 2’000 rhinoceroses were killed in 2015. And yet it is still possible for degenerate hobby hunters to travel to Africa to kill rare wild animals legally and for sport.
The EU is the largest importer of trophies. Between 2004 and 2013, more than 117’000 hunting trophies were legally imported — most of them into Spain, Germany, France, and Italy. Several EU countries have already enacted stricter laws. France, for example, has banned hobby hunters from importing lion heads, paws, and hides. Airlines are refusing to transport trophies on their aircraft.
The action plan is now set to be presented to the member states in the coming weeks, who will then need to decide on its implementation — a process that Switzerland is also expected to follow.
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