Despite Hurdles - UK Bill To Ban Import of Hunting Trophies Continues Through Legislature

​worldanimalnews.com/wan-exclusive-with-eduardo-goncalves-founder-of-campaign-to-ban-trophy-hunting-urgent-need-to-pass-legislation-prohibiting-the-import-of-animal-trophies-into-the-uk/

We've all seen the photos on social media of these creeps posing behind the corpses of Africa's most majestic animals. Every time I see one of those pictures, I can't believe how much pride these people have over putting a bullet in an animal already facing perils to its survival. The U.K. has introduced a bill to ban the import of hunting trophies and it continues to make its way through Parliament after a second reading back in November. If passed, the United Kingdom would send an incredibly strong message to the rest of the world about the importance of banning trophy imports to protect vulnerable species.

Photo taken from World Animal News. I do not own this photo

​The Trophy Hunting industry is absolutely abhorrent in nature. When you really look at the root of it, it's wealthy people from predominantly white countries throwing money at African communities in order to slaughter animals for fun. There are countless arguments from the industry about the money spent, how it's funneled in to local communities, and how this money actually aids in conservation efforts. The fact is, the animals these people are gleefully shooting for fun are all on track to inevitably go extinct. Is trophy hunting directly responsible? Not necessarily, but we're allowing people to pay big money to shoot and kill animals that are already facing an uphill battle for survival.

The argument that trophy hunting helps with conservation would suggest that these species' have benefited from being hunted for sport. Let's take a look at the numbers to get a really good idea of how well things are going for some of Africa's most hunted species.

LIONS:
2023 Population - Approximately 20, 000
1923 Population: Approximately 200, 000
Decline - 90% In 100 years

GIRAFFES:
2023 Population - Approximately 100, 000
1993 Population - Approximately 140, 000
Decline - 40% in 30 Years

ELEPHANTS:
2023 Population - Approximately 400, 000
2013 Population - Approximately 648, 000
Decline - 62% In 10 Years

CHEETAHS
2023 - Approximately 8, 000
1983 - Approximately 16, 000
​Decline - 50% in 40 Years

While exact numbers are hard to determine, in every case, these species have declined exponentially over decades. We're losing these animals at an alarming rate and coupled with habitat loss, fragmentation, continued human conflicts, and illegal poaching, they are all on a dangerous path towards extinction. Knowing this, why are we allowing these animals to be shot and killed for sport? The numbers don't lie, they're all headed towards further endangerment and inevitable extinction. We've gotten to a point where hunters are shooting and killing captive-bred lions to protect the wild population. You heard that correctly y'all; instead of breeding lions to rehabilitate the species, we're literally breeding them so that wealthy people can kill them for fun. That's the state of humanity's concerns when it comes to the extinction of wild animals.

Banning hunting trophies is a necessary step if a country is truly going to commit to ending trophy hunting. By banning the import of trophies, it sends a message that as a country, trophy hunting is widely frowned upon and recognized as a peril that is putting Africa's most recognized species at further risk of extinction. The UK banning these trophies would hopefully push other countries where trophies are permitted in to reconsidering their position. When these animals are already on a path to extinction, why are we helping them along for sport? 

Learn more by visiting the link at the top of this post. It's long passed time to end trophy hunting! Find the CAMPAIGN TO BAN TROPHY HUNTING on Facebook and show them your support!

HAPPY VEG

Statistics regarding animal populations reported from;
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/cheetahs-brink-extinction-again
https://www.bornfree.org.uk/news/giraffe-critically-endangered#:~:text=Giraffe%20numbers%20plummeted%20by%20a,the%20reasons%20for%20the%20decline.
https://elephantguide.com/en/how-many-elephants-are-left-in-the-world/
https://africafreak.com/lion-population