Ricky Gervais and Joanna Lumley join conservationists in condemning the “shameful” trade in endangered wildlife trophies

Giraffes, among the most iconic and inoffensive animals on the planet, have emerged as the most popular target for British trophy hunters, sparking outrage among campaigners who say the public has been kept largely in the dark about the scale of the killing.

An investigation by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting has revealed that 675 trophies from 45 different species classed as endangered by CITES have been brought into Britain since 2020, with giraffes topping the list.

Often viewed as peaceful herbivores roaming the African plains, giraffes are routinely shot so their bones, feet and skins can be brought back to the UK as hunting trophies – a practice many people are unaware is still taking place.

Comedian and animal welfare advocate Ricky Gervais said: “The idea that gentle animals like giraffes are being shot for fun and turned into ornaments is beyond sickening. This isn’t conservation, it’s vanity dressed up as sport.”

Dame Joanna Lumley added: “It is heartbreaking and frankly shameful that, in this day and age, magnificent creatures such as giraffes are still being gunned down just so their heads, bodies and skins can be displayed as triumphant trophies. These animals belong in the wild, not in someone’s sitting room.

“Giraffes are such extraordinary, elegant animals who harm no-one and have a right to live in safety, just as humans do. They are also increasingly endangered. The government should hang its head in shame for allowing this cruel and outdated practice to continue.”

The numbers behind the killing

Giraffes are followed on the list by North American black bears, lions and African elephants. Bear bodies, claws, rugs, skins and skulls are in high demand, while elephant trophies include bones, ears, feet and tusks.

Campaigners say the documents show the majority of lion trophies brought home by British hunters were captive-bred animals shot in fenced-in enclosures.

Other animals in the top ten include baboons, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, zebras and leopards. Leopards are classed as an Appendix I animal by CITES, meaning they are at the greatest danger of extinction, and hunting of such species must only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

Among the most endangered animals imported by British hunters were trophies of black rhinoceros and white rhinoceros, as well as the scimitar-horned oryx, a rare desert antelope of which only 140 to 160 are believed to remain in the wild.

In addition to lions and leopards, a number of other cats have been shot by British trophy hunters, including the cheetah, Africa’s most endangered big cat. Four different types of monkeys are popular with British hunters, as are a number of sheep and goats. Among the more unusual animals to make the list are the narwhal, a turtle and a reticulated python.

Conservation concerns

Professor Fred Bercovitch, former Executive Director of Save the Giraffes and IUCN giraffe expert, criticised claims by trophy hunting industry groups that the practice was helping to conserve giraffes.

“Giraffes are threatened with extinction, so the justification of killing an endangered species to obtain a trophy in order to save that same species lacks logic,” he said.

“Countries like South Africa provide an outlet to parts obtained from the illegal hunting of giraffe elsewhere in Africa.

“Trophy hunting remains a colonial vestige favoring white people.”

Wildlife populations have fallen by 73% since the 1970s, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, with several species targeted by trophy hunters experiencing even sharper declines. Lion numbers, for example, have fallen by over 90% during the same period.

Calls for a ban

Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “Britain should be leading the world in protecting endangered species, not issuing licences to bring their body parts home as souvenirs.

“At a time when wildlife is in freefall, this government is sending entirely the wrong message. The public overwhelmingly supports a ban, yet it has now been kicked into the long grass.”

To sign the petition to ban trophy hunting, visit: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/uk-gov-ban-sick-animal-trophies