It was great to meet with the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting last week, which has the support of Joanna Lumley and Peter Egan. Tragically, over 25,000 hunting trophies have been brought back to the UK since the 1980s. This is shameful.

Those involved in trophy hunting are collectively one of the biggest killers of African elephants and often slaughter ‘canned’ lions which have been born in captivity and shot in an enclosure. Other endangered species targeted by trophy hunters include black and white rhinos, cheetahs, polar bears, and leopards – putting their already declining populations at risk.
Clearly, trophy hunting imports should have been outlawed years ago, and in 2019, a pledge to ban these imports was included in the Queen’s Speech. However, over two years later the Government has still failed to implement that ban – whilst vulnerable species continue to be hunted for sport.

An immediate ban is overwhelmingly popular: almost 90% of people want to see the practice eradicated. The Government must finally listen and act.