Brussels, 20 June 2021 - On the 6th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the lion by an American trophy hunter, representatives of animal welfare and conservation organizations, Members of the EU Parliament and conservation experts from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya are calling for a ban on the import of hunting trophies into the EU.

In a webinar hosted by Manuela Ripa, MEP of the ÖDP, Humane Society International/Europe presented a study showing that the EU is the world's second largest importer of hunting trophies: between 2014 and 2018, almost 15,000 hunting trophies from 73 internationally protected animal species were imported.

"It is vital that Members of the EU Parliament address the killing of wildlife for the sole purpose of obtaining trophies for their homes. Especially in light of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, it is important to look at the impact of EU citizens traveling to far-flung countries just to shoot animals and bring home animal parts as trophies. What impact does this have on wildlife populations worldwide? I call for only photo hunting to be allowed instead of trophy hunting. This would protect species and still contribute to the protection of local ecosystems and support affected societies. I therefore call on the EU Commission to consider the issue of trophy hunting in the forthcoming evaluation of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking".

The webinar, organized in cooperation with MEPs for Wildlife Interest Group, Humane Society International/Europe, Born Free Foundatio, Eurogroup for Animals and Pro Wildlife, examined how trophy hunting exerts unsustainable pressure on endangered species. It also discussed whether trophy hunting actually contributes to the conservation of ecosystems, as claimed by proponents.