France halts trophy imports of endangered species

On 30 July 2026, France announced that it would halt the import of hunting trophies of endangered species.

In addition to lions, this will in future also affect endangered species such as the elephant, rhinoceros and leopard. The processing of all import applications has been suspended with immediate effect; the actual ban is due to come into force in the autumn by decree. Pro Wildlife welcomes the move as a European example and calls on the German federal government to follow suit.

«France proves that a national import ban is legally possible and long overdue. The federal government, by contrast, hides behind a reference to a European solution, while Germany continues to remain the largest importer of hunting trophies of internationally protected species in the EU», criticises Dr Mona Schweizer of Pro Wildlife.

A national ban is possible – France leads the way

With this step, France joins a growing number of EU states that have already adopted national import bans: the Netherlands (2016), Finland (2023) and Belgium (2024). The frequently made argument that such a ban is only possible at EU level is thereby refuted. France had already banned the import of lion trophies in 2015 and is now extending protection to further endangered species.

Germany: imports continue at a high level

Germany is going the opposite way. In 2025 alone, the authorities registered 679 import procedures for hunting trophies of internationally protected species. Over the past ten years, they add up to 6,422. No other EU country imports more of them. Between 2016 and 2025, trophies of, among others, more than 1,300 monkeys, 267 giraffes, 222 elephants, 209 leopards, 192 lions and 32 rhinos made their way into Germany. Yet the attitude of the population is clear: in the representative Ipsos survey of 2026, 85.6 per cent of respondents came out in favour of an import ban on trophies of protected species.

Pro Wildlife demands: Germany must follow suit

Pro Wildlife is calling on the federal government to introduce a national import ban on hunting trophies of endangered and internationally protected species: «It is not the legal means that are lacking, but the political will. Anyone who takes species protection seriously does not wait for Brussels but acts,» says Schweizer.