Earlier this year Emma was pleased to add her name to an Early Day Motion (EDM) which calls for a ban on trophy hunting imports to the UK in an effort to curb the cruel and barbaric practice.
Trophy hunting is when a person pays a fee to experience the hunting of an animal for the sole purpose of collecting a part of its body as a “trophy”-such as antlers, horns, the head or skin. Public interest in the practice was heightened in July 2015 when Cecil the Lion – a 13-year-old pride-leader – was killed by American trophy hunter Walter Palmer in Zimbabwe. Critics of trophy hunting believe it to cause the decline of protected species and can act as a cover for illegal poaching. The practice is further opposed on animal welfare grounds and has been described as “cruel, immoral, archaic and unjustifiable.”
A report revealed that a wealthy UK businessman was one of the world’s most prolific trophy hunters. Malcolm King who runs a business in the British Virgin Islands is reported to have killed over 500 animals including Elephants, Lions, Rhinos and Cheetahs.
The EDM has been signed by over 160 MPs from across the political spectrum and it calls upon the Government to commit to halting imports of hunting trophies as a matter of urgency.
The UK is lacking behind the rest of the world in banning imports of trophy hunting with countries like France, Australia, the Netherlands and even China all recently placing a ban on the import of animal trophies. Shockingly 74 rare animal body parts were legally brought into the UK by hunters last year, including hippopotamus teeth, elephant ears and crocodile skins and according to the World Wildlife Fund more than 50 elephants are killed every day.
Speaking about the EDM Emma said “there is no better example of mankind’s barbarity towards the animal kingdom than the sight of a human being standing proudly over the carcass of a once majestic and rare creature. It is shameful that with the stroke of a pen our government could help reduce this cruel and barbaric practice by banning imports into the UK. Despite a promise by the Tories to ban the import of lion trophies by 2017, we are still waiting. It is the duty of the UK to send a clear message to the rest of the world that this so-called sport must not be tolerated and until we do so I fear that we may lose some species of animal forever. I am hopeful that Government take notice of the growing support for the EDM and act without delay.”
Earlier this year Emma was pleased to add her name to an Early Day Motion (EDM) which calls for a ban on trophy hunting imports to the UK in an effort to curb the cruel and barbaric practice.