The importation of hunting trophies from six endangered species is prohibited in Europe

 

On February 5, the European Union implemented new, stricter rules to ban the import of hunting trophies from six endangered species: the African lion and elephant, the polar bear, the white rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, and the argali sheep. It was long overdue, particularly for the African lion, whose population is in sharp decline.

 

From now on, imports of lion hunting trophies into the EU from several West African countries—such as Burkina Faso, Benin, and Cameroon—are banned. These countries were already subject to a “negative opinion” issued by the EU Scientific Group on Trade in Wild Species. Other African countries will now have to prove that trophy hunting on their territory does not harm the conservation of the species in question. Among them, Tanzania and Mozambique will likely struggle to retain their import permits for elephant trophies...

Ultimately, the European Union is now in a position to evaluate trophy hunting more critically and scientifically, based on the conservation measures taken and population counts for the six listed species—and may even expand this list.

 

Until now, regulations governing trade in body parts of protected species did not apply to hunting trophies, which were considered “personal effects.”This exemption has enabled the illicit trade in animal parts throughout the EU—used, for example, in the manufacture of “medicines”—and has notably contributed to the extinction of West African lions, whose wild population now numbers only 400 individuals.

 

MEP Catherine Bearder played an active role in convincing the EU that regulations much stricter than those of CITES* were necessary, supported by the British organization LionAid, among others. While she welcomes this milestone, she believes it is important to remain vigilant on the ground, keeping pressure on the traffickers who fuel the illegal trade in wild species, and to ensure that the new rules are effectively enforced.

 

From 2008 to 2012, 1,438 lion trophies were imported into Europe. While about 1,000 of them came from South Africa, where most of the hunted lions are bred in captivity, 395 trophies were from wild lions, including 63 killed from West African populations that are critically endangered… and 80% of which were imported into France.

 

* CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife, or the Washington Convention.

Sources: European Parliament, bearder.eu, LionAid.org.