Last Friday, the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill and Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill successfully passed their final stages in the House of Commons and are both one step closer to becoming law.
The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill
On Friday, 17th of March, the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill passed its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons. If it becomes legislation, the Bill will ban the import of hunting trophies into Great Britain. We were delighted to see so many MPs, from all political parties, supporting the Bill that will stop hunters from bringing the body parts of lions, elephants, and giraffes back to Great Britain.
British hunters have brought home approximately 25,000 hunting trophies since the 1980s such as elephants, leopards, giraffes, bears, primates, and hippos, to name a few1. By allowing the import of hunting trophies, the UK is complicit in allowing this barbaric trade to continue and putting the very survival of these majestic creatures at risk. Introducing a ban on the import of hunting trophies is one way the UK can play its part in stopping this appalling and horrific so-called ‘sport’. According to a 2021 poll, 85% of the public agreed that the UK government should ban trophy hunters from bringing back trophies of hunted animals as soon as possible2.
Changes to the Bill
Whilst we were delighted that the Bill has passed, there were two amendments to the Bill. One change to the Bill will create an expert advisory board on the import ban. The second change will remove the power of the Environment Secretary to add other animals in need of protection to the list of species that the Bill will cover.
What did MPs have to say?
Henry Smith MP said, ‘This Bill is about the values we in Britain have: we do not want to be part of a trade in the body parts of endangered species. The people of this country care passionately about conservation and the environment and protecting endangered species.’
Margaret Ferrier MP spoke up noting, ‘the UK Government and, more important, the UK public have every right to decide that they do not want these macabre, mangled animal body parts to enter the country or to circulate here for profit. Preventing that is what the Bill will ultimately achieve.’
Alex Sobel MP, Shadow Minister for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, spoke of Kenya’s success following its decision to ban trophy hunting, adding, ‘The example of Kenya, which banned trophy hunting in the 1970s, should be applauded and encouraged. While lion, elephant and rhino populations are falling throughout much of Africa, their numbers are all increasing in Kenya. It is of economic benefit to the people as well.’
Trudy Harrison MP, Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs noted that ‘we are sending to the rest of the world the strong message that we in the UK demonstrate where we can our support for endangered species across the world, as set out in CITES, and we do not accept their body parts being used as so-called trophies to be brought back into this country.
And dare I say it, Cecil the lion has not died in vain.’
The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill
That was not the only success of the day. We were thrilled that the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill also passed its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons. If the Bill becomes legislation, it will make it illegal in England and Northern Ireland to sell and advertise cruel animal experiences abroad such as elephant rides, tiger cub petting, and potentially swim-with dolphin ‘experiences’. This would have huge implications for the tourism industry as it would mean that travel companies would no longer able to profit from cruel wildlife exploitation in these markets..
There are up to 550,000 wild animals suffering for tourist entertainment in wildlife attractions worldwide. The suffering inflicted on wild animals trapped in wildlife entertainment starts the moment they are captured in the wild or bred in captivity.
Elephant calves are separated from their mothers at an early age (around two years) and subjected to isolation, restraint, beatings, and cruel training methods to ‘submit’ and comply to perform tricks. Their enclosures are inadequate for their needs and cannot replicate their natural roaming range that varies between 30km2 and 600km2.
Similarly, dolphins are kept in barren tanks which can never replicate their homes in the wild. In the wild, dolphins can swim 100km a day, however the average tank size used at dolphin facilities is over 200,000 times smaller than their home range. Their food is often withheld and rewarded to them once they have performed tricks. This is no life for these highly intelligent animals.
How did MPs respond?
Angela Richardson MP:
Although we cannot enforce our laws in other sovereign states, there are actions we can take domestically to protect animals, including by passing this Bill. We can work domestically to steer the market away from promoting these experiences and towards a travel industry that is more conscious of animal welfare, supporting both tourists and suppliers to make more informed decisions about what to buy and offer respectively.
Simon Baynes MP:
As a Welsh MP, I hope the Welsh Senedd will follow suit. It is an honour to support this Bill, which will be of great benefit to animal welfare around the world. It has my wholehearted support.
Alex Sobel MP:
This problem is an international one, but our citizens and companies are centrally involved with advertising, promoting, and selling experiences, usually to unknowing consumers; UK travel companies are complicit in this cruelty, and there are so many examples of cruelty arising from this practice.
A big thank you to every single supporter who emailed their MP asking them to attend both debates and speak up for animals – you made this change possible.
For more information on how to ensure you are booking a holiday that doesn’t support wildlife exploitation, World Animal Protection’s The Real Responsible Traveller Report has researched which companies are failing wildlife and profiting from animals trapped in the tourist industry.
Both Bills will now make their way to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. We will keep you updated on any further developments.
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1 Trophy Hunting & Britain: The Case for a Ban A report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Banning Trophy Hunting June 29, 2022.
2 Survation carried out a poll of 1020 respondents in March 2021 on behalf of the APPG on Banning Trophy Hunting.
This Bill is about the values we in Britain have: we do not want to be part of a trade in the body parts of endangered species