Between 2014 and 2018, around 15,00 hunting trophies from 73 internationally protected species were imported into the EU. That's close to 3,000 every year and it puts the EU second only to the US for imports in the world. All these animals are killed for fun, it's time to act.
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What is trophy hunting?
Put simply, trophy hunting is killing animals for fun. Then, once they have completed their kill, hunters keep a part of the animal as a trophy, displaying it for all to see. Common trophies include the head, skin, antlers of horns.
What animals do trophy hunters target?
Many species can end up the target of trophy hunters, including elephants, lions, giraffes, polar bears and black rhinos. Many are endangered and at risk of extinction, and often the rarer the animal, the better in a collector’s eyes.
It’s not about conservation
Hunters often say that this horrible sport is conservation with money going to help local communities. In reality, though, it has nothing to do with it. According to an article by Humane Society International, only 3% of the large sums of money paid by hunters finds its way to communities where it could make any difference. Eco-tourism and wildlife watching have a much bigger impact on conservation and local communities by creating jobs and encouraging people to respect rather than kill these at-risk animals.
How can we stop trophy hunting?
It’s not unusual for hunters to travel worldwide, paying a fortune for the pleasure of shooting these animals. They then package up their trophies and ship them home so they can show off after their trip. This is a part of their motivation. Encouraging the EU to ban the import of animal parts from hunts would dissuade hunters from going in the first place and, therefore, help cut the number of animals that die thanks to this cruel sport.