Rebecca Harris MP has joined a group of cross-party MPs and Peers to urge the UK Government to introduce a bill to ban imports of hunting trophies, after viewing an emotive photo exhibition highlighting the brutal reality of the trade by award-winning photojournalist Britta Jaschinski.
At an event held by Humane World for Animals (formerly called Humane Society International), Rebecca signed a giant postcard to Labour's Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, stating “trophy hunting has no place in a civilised society” and calling for the Labour manifesto commitment of a ban to be delivered.
Jaschinski’s photographs invited attendees to reflect on the immorality of the gruesome, senseless souvenirs obtained when hunters kill threatened and endangered animals simply for fun and bragging rights, showcasing items such as footstools made from elephant feet, bear paw slippers and stuffed lion heads.
The objects in the photos were seized by authorities for various reasons including incorrect paperwork, but currently it is legal for British hunters to travel abroad to kill animals and bring back trophies just like these—a cruel injustice that Humane World for Animals is campaigning to end.
Attendees at the event in Parliament heard from speakers including Britta Jaschinski and founder of Zimbabwe Elephant Foundation, Noma Dube, about why an import ban on hunting trophies is urgently needed.
The Labour Government committed to banning imports of hunting trophies in its 2024 manifesto, but so far has not made any progress.
Commenting after the event, Rebecca said: "We must end the cruel practice of killing such magnificent animals simply for entertainment. I hope the Government listens to calls to implement a ban on hunting trophies to set in stone this country's commitment to standing up to such a practice.
"My Conservative colleagues and I introduced measures such as the Ivory Act when we were in Government - one of the toughest bans on ivory anywhere in the world - to deter the killing of animals for their horns, but we must not stop there. The current Government has a responsibility to fulfil its manifesto commitments."
Nicola White, senior wildlife campaigns manager at Humane World for Animals UK, said: “In 2023 British hunters shipped dozens of trophies from endangered animals, including lions, elephants, a brown bear, a hippo and a cheetah, to the UK. Every day that the UK Government delays on its manifesto commitment to ban imports of hunting trophies is another day that British hunters are free to turn animals into grotesque souvenirs."
