Trophy Hunting – The Illusion of Conservation
Trophy hunting is the hunting of wild animals for sport, not food. Usually, the animal is stuffed, or a body part is kept for display. Most trophy hunters come from wealthier countries and pay high fees for their hunts and trophies. Trophy Hunting is the illusion of conservation.
Each year, hunters from the UK travel to Africa to participate in ‘trophy hunting’, bringing home the dead animals to display as trophies and souvenirs on their walls.
Many who partake in this ‘sport’ are inexperienced hunters and thus cause the animals excruciating pain and long and agonising death through an inaccurate gunshot. For bragging rights, trophy hunters seek to kill the most impressive animals in the group, namely the largest breeding-size males.
According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), 290,000 trophy items from nearly 300 CITES-listed species were exported worldwide between 2008 and 2017. These items included teeth, claws, pelts, heads, or entire bodies of defenceless animals slaughtered for the thrill of this so-called ‘sport.’
Wildlife Matters reveals the myths that Trophy hunters put out as they attempt to justify their penchant for killing wild animals and displaying them on the walls of their homes.
That caveman mentality has no place in our societies or, indeed, the world today, and that is why we are exposing the myths of the Trophy hunters so you can see through them and ask some of the world’s leading conservation NGOs and Not for profits, just why they are supporting the killing of animals for their bodyparts.
We strongly recommend that you withdraw any support you give to these groups, as that is one way that will undoubtedly force them to review their decisions.
So let’s dispel the Trophy Hunters myths, beginning with:
Myth One: Trophy hunting supports healthy populations
Trophy hunters target animals with the best physical traits. They usually target males with big manes, horns, tusks, or antlers. This means animal groups lose leaders, which can lead to more deaths. For example, when a male lion is killed, his pride suffers.
Younger males kill each other as they fight for control, females are killed protecting their cubs, and the new pride leader often wipes out an entire generation of cubs.
Approximately 600 lions are killed every year on trophy hunts, including lions in populations that are already declining from other threats. It seems there would be less destructive ways to conserve a species, precisely, one that doesn’t involve putting a price on their head.
Myth Two: Trophy hunting provides money to poor communities
A study on the economic benefit behind lion hunting in Africa concluded, “The suggestion that trophy hunting plays a significant role in African economic development is misguided.
Revenues constitute only a fraction of a per cent of GDP, and almost none of that ever reaches rural communities.”
It appears correct that some hunters’ fees go to conservation in some countries, but it’s rarely the primary source of conservation funding.
In reality, the agents, trophy shooting companies and even local government officials take the largest share of sport hunting proceeds. This leaves around 5% for the local communities and the conservation of the local wildlife and habitat.
Myth Three: Trophy hunting prevents poaching
Trophy hunting protects and empowers poachers. Poachers can gain access to protected areas. They can claim they are scouting for a trophy-hunting client. It is tough to regulate poaching when trophy hunting is legal.
This access to the animals is equivalent to leaving the keys with the prisoners at a jail. Exploiting this position is easy, and the local authorities can’t police it.
Before the whaling moratorium was introduced, legal quotas were widely used as covers for poaching, driving some species towards extinction, and now the same is happening with trophy hunting of endangered species.”
Hunting animals for trophies, especially large game animals, can lead to a slippery slope in which the animals are the victims.
Myth Four: Trophy hunting supports species conservation.
Trophy hunting negatively impacts endangered and protected species populations. Due to human actions, more species are threatened with extinction today than ever.
Scientists have identified the direct exploitation of animals, including hunting, as one of the main drivers.
Even species that are internationally protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) or are classified as threatened in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species are the focus of trophy hunters and killed in their thousands every year.
These include elephants, rhinos, polar bears, and big cats like lions and leopards. Populations of many hunted species have decreased dramatically. Scientific studies show that trophy hunting depletes animal populations within hunting areas and negatively impacts populations in adjacent protected areas.
Myth 5: “Trophy hunting targets surplus or old animals.
Trophy hunters typically target animals in their prime because they make the best trophies. Do you believe they would pay all that money for the head of an older lion?
Trophy hunters typically target animals with physically impressive characteristics that they believe make the best trophies, such as those with the longest tusks, largest horns or darkest manes.
In nature, these characteristics are critical indicators of good health and strong genetic predisposition. Animals possessing these traits are usually the most important members of their population and play a crucial role in the reproductive success and survival of the group, particularly in social species where older animals often lead with their ecological and social knowledge.
The shooting of adult male lions, leopards, pumas or brown bears often leads to infanticide, meaning a successor kills the offspring sired by his predecessor in a social group or geographic area.
It is not just Africa that has a problem with trophy hunting. Studies conducted on brown bears in Scandinavia have shown that hunting has led to unnatural selection, changes in animal behaviour, and population dynamics that affect the reproduction rate.
The negative impacts of trophy hunting go beyond just the shooting of a single animal. Hunted species are also under pressure because hunters value the rarity and size of the trophy when choosing their targets.
Hunting associations and businesses increase the demand for particularly impressive or rare trophies by holding competitions and offering packages that promote and reward hunters who secure such trophies.
Myth 6: Trophy hunting is strictly regulated and sustainable
In many countries that permit trophy hunting, there are severe problems with governance and a need for more regulation and control.
The incentives of high-profit margins mean that the rules governing hunting, such as quotas, age or area restrictions, are frequently not complied with, and revenues generated from hunting fees typically fail to reach local communities.
Hunting quotas are often arbitrary and based on inaccurate or outdated rather than reliable scientific data. Additionally, they are biased towards trophy hunters.
More reliable population estimates are needed for most leopard populations, making it impossible to determine sustainable hunting quota levels. Despite this, the species is still heavily hunted. Studies have shown that leopard populations have significantly decreased in recent decades due to habitat loss, poaching, and poorly regulated trophy hunting.
Myth 7: Trophy hunting guarantees healthy animal populations
ATrophy hunter’s main objective is to obtain animal parts for trophies, which means that maintaining healthy animal populations and ecosystems is not a priority for trophy hunters. They tend to hunt mature individuals in their prime, which can have negative genetic, social, and ecological impacts on their populations.
Claims that trophy hunting is a means of caring for and managing wildlife populations or serves as a method of population control are misleading and false.
Trophy hunting is a commercial enterprise where hunters pay for the right to kill animals, often of threatened and protected species, and acquire a trophy. The prices for such trophies increase with the rarity of the species.
Trophy hunting trips are primarily motivated by the desire to hunt charismatic, endangered megafauna species in remote regions of the world rather than any intention to contribute to maintaining healthy animal populations.
Trophy hunting is neither a humane nor effective tool for wildlife management, as it is driven by the hunting industry’s economic interests and the hunters’ demands.
Myth 8: Trophy hunting reduces human-animal conflicts
Humans’ increasing intrusion into wildlife habitats leads to resource competition and potential conflicts between humans and wild animals.
Trophy hunters claim their actions help mitigate such conflicts by targeting problem animals. However, it is often impossible to identify individual animals that cause problems, whilst studies show that killing problem animals is not an effective way of resolving such conflicts.
In reality, trophy hunters prioritise hunting animals that will provide them with the best trophies, typically large and mature males. Removing these animals can disrupt the social dynamics within animal groups, potentially increasing conflicts with humans.
Predators may be forced to venture more often into human settlements and prey on farm animals as a readily available food source, especially if human activities have depleted wild prey populations.
Hunting can directly lead to human-animal conflicts. Elephants that have been subjected to illegal hunting for a long time are more aggressive towards humans. Older elephant bulls play an essential role as leaders in male elephant social groups, and their presence reduces aggression in younger males. Targeting these bulls disrupts elephant social dynamics and can lead to heightened aggression in younger males. As a result, human-elephant conflicts are likely to increase. Trophy hunting is, therefore, not part of conflict resolution but part of the problem.
Myth Nine: Trophy Hunting funding helps to conserve protected areas
Trophy hunting does not significantly contribute to the preservation of protected areas.
It is primarily conducted on private land, where wildlife populations are artificially settled and bred to ensure the availability of sought-after trophy animals. Some private reserves even genetically manipulate wild animals through breeding programs to meet the demands of trophy hunters.
Such selective breeding, essentially intensive wildlife farming within fenced areas, poses a considerable risk to biodiversity. It can lead to genetic impoverishment, hybridisation of different species, and reduced longevity of individual animals.
Money invested in this private sector does not support species conservation or ecologically sustainable protected areas. When considering revenues from trophy hunts conducted in and around public protected areas, it becomes clear that the costs of managing protected areas far exceed those from trophy hunting.
For instance, in Tanzania, the hunting industry finances just 2% of the costs required to maintain the biological integrity of the adjacent protected area. Even though a tiny proportion of revenues from trophy hunting (typically 3 to 5%) goes towards developing local regions and communities, this amount is not necessarily invested in species protection or protected areas.
It may be used, for example, for infrastructure or other projects. Thus, trophy hunting contributes almost nothing to the costs of maintaining protected areas and conserving species.
Myth 10: Tourism cannot replace the income from Trophy Hunting
Tourism can be a sustainable source of income for local communities, offering long-term work opportunities that can significantly increase their earnings compared to trophy hunting. 80% of tourists who travel to Africa go there for wildlife viewing, and the continent’s 8,400 protected areas generate USD 48 billion annually from nature-based wildlife tourism.
On the other hand, trophy hunting in the eight major African hunting countries only provides economic benefits estimated at USD 132 million. Reports suggest that only 19,800 jobs out of these countries’ 2.6 million wildlife tourism jobs are related to trophy hunting. Trophy hunting also undermines other forms of wildlife tourism, as hunters kill the very animals that tourists come to see.
For instance, an elephant can generate around USD 1.6 million throughout its life through tourism, while nine hunting operators sell permits to kill an elephant for an average of USD 30,000 to 40,000. It is also worthwhile noting that many tourists will no longer visit areas where trophy hunting is permitted, as they are against the hunting of wild animals as trophies.
In 2021, the South African Cabinet endorsed a government report that found that the captive lion breeding industry, which includes captive lion trophy hunting, does not contribute to conservation and damages South Africa’s conservation and tourism reputation.
In 2022, major international tourism companies, including Booking.com and the Expedia Group, stated that trophy hunting is damaging South Africa’s reputation as a tourist destination. They called on the South African government to reject trophy hunting instead invest in wildlife-friendly, non-consumptive economic alternatives.
Myth 11: Trophy hunting is ethically acceptable
Killing an animal for fun or a trophy is unethical as well as incompatible with animal welfare requirements.
The Ethics Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) has concluded that trophy hunting is unethical and incompatible with pursuing a sustainable and just world.
Although most animal killing is highly regulated to minimise suffering, animals targeted by trophy hunters do not enjoy such protections.
Perversely, the trophy hunting industry actively promotes the use of killing methods that increase animal suffering.
Trophy hunters violate ethical principles and legal provisions in their home country when hunting overseas.
For example, trophy hunters often use cruel hunting methods that are banned in many European countries, such as hunting with bow and arrows, ten crossbows, muzzleloaders, and pistols, hunting with dogs, or shooting captive-bred animals in small enclosures.
Cruel hunting methods and the lack of experience of many trophy hunters also contribute to the prolonged suffering of animals with complete disregard for the fact that animals are sentient creatures capable of suffering and forming critical social relationships.
Several European countries have already taken action, with France and the Netherlands banning the import of hunting trophies. The Belgian parliament voted in favour of an import ban on trophies in 2022. Finland’s new Nature Conservation Act, which came into force in June 2023, prohibits the import of hunting trophies from countries outside the EU. Similar proposals are being discussed in other European countries. The European Parliament has called for an import ban on trophies of CITES-protected species in 2022.
Myth 12: Import bans on hunting trophies undermine the sovereignty of communities in exporting countries.
Every country has the right to establish laws related to species conservation. Due to the current nature and wildlife crisis, in which overexploitation is a significant contributing factor, national trade restrictions are necessary to safeguard vulnerable species from exploitation. These restrictions are explicitly provided for in international and European legislation.
Import bans on wildlife products, including hunting trophies, are critical for wildlife conservation and are already in effect worldwide.
The hunting lobby claims that such bans prohibit source countries and their citizens from utilising their natural resources, which is incorrect. Instead, governments take responsibility for protecting wildlife and act based on legal, ethical, and social obligations.
Trophy hunting is a business model prioritising individual profits over the common good.
When wild animals are treated as commodities, there is a significant risk of excessive exploitation, particularly for threatened species.
What is the UK Government Doing?
In 2021, the Government pledged to implement one of the world’s most stringent bans on the import of hunting trophies, covering nearly 7,000 endangered and threatened species.
After years of campaigning for a ban on the import of hunting trophies, Henry Smith, the MP for Crawley, introduced a government-backed Private Member’s Bill called The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) six months later.
The Bill passed through all stages in the House of Commons and was then debated in the House of Lords in late summer 2023.
Unfortunately, a few pro-hunting Peers held the Bill hostage in the House of Lords at the Committee Stage, and it was dropped in October 2023.
However, John Spellar MP reintroduced an identical Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill in December 2023. The Second Reading of this Bill is scheduled for March 2024.
Wildlife Matters thoughts:
Wildlife Matters urges the UK government to take responsibility and implement one of the strongest laws on importing animal body parts as trophies.
Observing wild animals in their natural habitat is an awe-inspiring experience. During an ethical safari, it’s common to see elephants, buffalo and giraffes sharing a waterhole.
Watching Lions enjoying the sun and leopards resting under a nearby tree is truly memorable, and If you’re lucky, you may even glimpse a rhino.
Unfortunately, what should be a peaceful and unforgettable experience for us is nothing more than a hunting ground for people who want to kill animals for sport.
That’s why we must work together to put an end to Trophy Hunting and its counterpart, Canned Hunting, and we start by banning the import of animal body parts as macabre trophies.
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An Introduction to Trophy Hunting BBC Wildlife Magazine