Urge the UK to ban trophy hunting imports and exports!

Vanessa Mignon

Urge the UK to ban trophy hunting imports and exports!

Between 2008 and 2017, the UK imported almost 2,200 hunting trophies from over 50 species listed in the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species, including leopards, elephants, lions and polar bears.

The UK government ran a consultation which closed in February. We submitted a detailed response to this consultation, but the Government are yet to outline their plans. We need your help to tell Prime Minister Johnson that trophy hunting has no place in any modern society.

Add your name to our petition, urging the UK government to ban trophy hunting imports and exports!

Fill out the form below and then click "Next" to view our petition.

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Below is our petition to the UK government. Please click "Send Now" to add your name, and we will deliver it on your behalf!

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Dear Prime Minister,

I am extremely pleased that your government is holding a consultation and call for evidence to inform a ban on the import and export of hunting trophies. I fully support a ban on the terms set out by Humane Society International in their submission, including the following key points:

· (Question 8) The ban should be on all hunting trophies entering or leaving the UK (option 3). This would ensure that the UK does not contribute to the international trade in hunting trophies of any wild animals and would align the most with the commitments, set out in the Queen’s speech, to protect and improve the environment for future generations.

· (Question 5) The ban should apply to all species, not only those listed under CITES or EU Wildlife Trade Regulations. This would ensure consistency, ease implementation and alleviate enforcement burden, and would mean that the UK’s legal apparatus for trade restrictions were not based on external listings that have frequently been shown to not keep pace with the rapid pace of change and decline in species’ status. Furthermore, it would reflect the public distaste for the colonial and archaic ideologies that underpin trophy hunting, and ensure that all animals are treated equally, and with respect for the principle that a sentient animal’s life should not be taken for such frivolous reasons.

· (Question 10) There should be no difference in the restrictions on hunting trophies imported and exported to and from countries within the EU compared with countries outside the EU. There would be no sound conservation rationale for this and it could be deemed arbitrary and/or discriminatory under World Trade Organisation rules.

· (Question 12) The same restrictions should apply to hunting trophies sourced from all origins (e.g. captive-bred animals, canned hunts, wild animals).

· (Question 14) The proposed enforcement regime should be strengthened to ensure that it is sufficiently punitive, particularly given the wealth generally associated with the type of individuals who engage in trophy hunting.

Trophy hunting is cruel, unnecessary and is exacerbating the current extinction crisis faced by the world’s wildlife. In order for the UK to fulfill its ambition to provide 'international leadership in protecting and improving international biodiversity', I urge you to bring in a strong and complete ban on trophy hunting imports as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
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