British Big Game Hunters No Longer Allowed to Bring Trophies Back to the UK

The government has announced that British hunters who kill endangered animals overseas for sport would be unable to bring their trophies home.

Under the new rule, big game hunters will be prohibited from carrying home body parts from 7,000 species, including lions, rhinos, elephants, and polar bears. Two years after, the administration stated that a ban would be implemented.

Big-Game and Trophy Hunting

Hunting large game animals for meat, financially valuable by-products (such as horns/antlers, furs, tusks, bones, body fat/oil, or unique organs and contents), trophy/taxidermy, or just for leisure is known as big-game hunting ("sporting"). The word is frequently connected with African "Big Five" game hunting (lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros) and tigers and rhinoceroses on the Indian subcontinent.

Like Big-Game hunting, Trophy hunting is hunting wild animals to obtain trophies. The entire or portions of the hunted animal are retained and displayed as a symbol of the hunter's achievement. A huge or strikingly adorned male, such as one with enormous horns or antlers, is the desired target animal, known as the game. Only a few animal pieces are usually saved as trophies (usually the head, skin, horns, or antlers). However, taxidermy can be used to preserve the animal completely.

Related Article: Wolf Slaughter: Wolf Hunting Laws May Have Driven Gray Wolves Back to Endangered Species List

A Strict Restriction  

George Eustice, the environment minister, claimed the legislation would be one of the harshest in the world, adding that it would go beyond the government's manifesto vow by encompassing near-threatened and threatened species as well endangered species.

"We will be in the forefront of protecting endangered species and assisting in the strengthening and support of long-term conservation," he added.

The restriction will apply whether a trophy was taken from a wild animal or one grown in captivity, particularly for trophy hunting. Hunters who break the limits might face a five-year jail sentence.

According to the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, over 300 trophies from endangered species have been brought to the UK in the last two years.

Enacting the Law

Eduardo Gonçalves, the campaign's founder, pointed out that the government had not set a deadline for enacting the law.

"As far as we've seen, the bill appears to be in fine form," he added. "However, it has been two years since it was first introduced in the Queen's address, and many animals have been cruelly and needlessly murdered in that time." As a result, the administration must present the law to parliament as soon as feasible."

Ministers informed Gonçalves the measure might be introduced in parliament next spring or summer. By that time, "another 100 or more animals may be slain, and their trophies transported back to Britain," according to Gonçalves.

"Every week without this restriction means more animals, including endangered species, are shot by British hunters, and their trophies brought back to the nation," he added. Some of these species are on the verge of extinction, and trophy hunting is unpopular among the British public."

A "Disgusting Trade"

Boris Johnson has described trophy hunting as a "disgusting trade," His father, Stanley Johnson, has long advocated for a prohibition.

Cecil, the lion, was shot in 2015 by an American dentist, Walter Palmer, in a reserve in Zimbabwe, prompting legislation prohibiting hunting trophies.

The government held a public consultation in 2019 on intentions for a ban, which got widespread support.

Also Read: A Third of Wisconsin's Wild Wolves Killed in 60 Hours After Being Removed From Endangered List

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