Trophy Hunting

Trophy hunting is the practice of killing animals for sport and then keeping parts or all of the dead animal and the hunters displaying these as “trophies”. The UK does not currently have a blanket ban on the importation or exportation of hunting trophies. The main restrictions in the UK flow from the implementation of the provisions of CITES (The Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) which restricts the commercial international trade of trophies taken from certain endangered species, and the Ivory Act 2018, which prevents the trade of the trophies including ivory.

Following a public consultation, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published proposals to introduce legislation in the UK to ban the import and export of hunting trophies from endangered species of wildlife. The UK Centre for Animal Law’s Wildlife Working Group, led by Co-chair Rob Espin, have produced a report examining the proposals and the legal issues surrounding hunting trophies. Their report is available to read here.