Trophy hunting is not species conservation: facts against hunters' tales

Every year, trips to kill threatened and protected animals are offered at the Dortmund hunting fair.

In doing so, the hunting lobby attempts to give trophy hunting an ecologically and economically sustainable image. A factual paper published by 15 animal and species protection organisations exposes this as greenwashing and debunks the 14 most common trophy hunting fake news claims.

The annual Jagd & Hund fair in Dortmund is Europe's largest hunting fair and, at the same time, an important advertising platform for trophy hunting, including of threatened and internationally protected species such as lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and polar bears. Public resistance to this has been growing for some time. A recent survey by HSI  reveals that almost 90% of the German citizens surveyed reject the import of hunting trophies into Germany. In addition, over 120,000 people are calling on Dortmund's mayor Westphal in a petition to stop the offering of trophy hunting trips at Jagd & Hund. 19 animal and species protection organisations are also demanding this in a joint statement.

While representatives of the trophy hunting industry claim that trophy hunting contributes to species protection and poverty reduction, the current factual paper exposes these central myths. Particularly with regard to the much-discussed economic viability, it becomes clear that the economic relevance of trophy hunting is extremely low. Moreover, the profits generated benefit mainly hunting travel providers and large landowners. One study shows that in Namibia — the destination of most German hunting tourists — over 97% of animals are shot on private farms. Recent media reports from Botswana also demonstrate how wealthy entrepreneurs are enriching themselves by hunting Africa's last great bull elephants, while at the same time jeopardising conservation successes. "The fact that the hunting lobby still claims that trophy hunting is a vital source of income for people in local communities, while hunting tour operators, farm owners and local elites line their pockets, is a farce. Rather, as part of the colonial legacy, trophy hunting cements dependencies and structural injustices, and just as in the past, enables the enrichment of individuals at the expense of everyone else”, says Dr Mona Schweizer of Pro Wildlife.

At a time when more species are threatened with extinction due to human influence than ever before, these dangers are particularly serious. The extinction of entire animal species concerns us all. Sylvie Kremerskothen Gleason of HSI also emphasises just how problematic trophy hunting really is: “Trophy hunting is not species conservation! Quite the opposite: it reduces populations of threatened and protected species. Trophy hunters kill particularly impressive animals, thereby eliminating exactly the key individuals that are especially important for healthy populations. For species whose populations have already been decimated and are threatened, this selective hunting for trophies is fatal.”

Given these facts, it is hard to understand why it is still permitted in Germany to offer hunts for threatened and protected animal species and to import their trophies. The factsheet reinforces the urgent need for action – we call on policymakers to ban the import of hunting trophies from threatened and protected species and the corresponding hunting trip offers.

James Brückner, Head of the Species Conservation Department at the German Animal Welfare Federation.

Download the factsheet on trophy hunting (PDF)