Big Names Support Trophy-Hunting Ban

The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (CBTH) is running a petition to ask international governments to take a firmer stance on eliminating hunting of endangered wildlife for trophies.

The campaign was started in 2018 by former League Against Cruel Sports CEO Eduardo Goncalves, former WWF International Director Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, and actor Peter Egan. They have offices in London and the United States.

CBTH defines this practice as hunting for sport, clarifying that humane and necessary methods of population control do not fall under this umbrella. With sport hunting, parts of the animals killed are often kept and preserved as a mark of strength or achievement, for which the international market is popular. Additionally, sport hunting isn’t often quick and painless – CBTH states that studies suggest that over 50% of deaths by trophy hunting are not instant. Endangered animals are not legally exempt from the threats trophy hunters pose. CBTH cites that 50,000 polar bears have been shot by hunters for sport and trophies since the 1960s – the WWF states there are only 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears left, and that they are classed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN RedList.

The petition’s specific asks are for governments to ban the practice of trophy hunting itself, stopping import and exports of hunting trophies, enforcing existing laws against trophy hunting, and the removal of trophy hunting exemptions from existing conservation agreements. They aim to negotiate a global agreement banning trophy hunting. The petition at the time of this article has collected approximately 40,000 signatures.

The campaign has an extensive list of supporters, including Ed Sheeran, Mark Ruffalo, and Susie Dent. The full list can be found here.

Additionally, the CBTH is running a UK-based petition to ask Prime Minister Andy Burnham to follow through on the Labour party’s promise from the 2024 General Election to ban hunting trophies. They have obtained 55,000 signatures so far.

For more information, see their website. You can support their cause by signing the petitions. Additionally, there is the option to purchase from their store or give a donation, all of which goes towards the fees associated with this campaign.