Tourists visit African countries to hunt majestic animals and return their displays to the UK (Image: Getty)
An MP has urged his colleagues to band together “for the sake of democracy” to help end trophy hunting.
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A ban on the act of killing wild animals then importing them to the UK for in-home displays was promised in the 2019 manifesto by Conservative MPs.
Legislation was thwarted by a minority peers in what Conservatove MP Henry Smith described as a “terrible denial of democracy”.
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He said: “It is vital that Great Britain acts to help put an end to trophy hunting. It is equally vital we help to restore faith in our democratic system.
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“A ban was promised in the 2019 manifesto that Conservative MPs such as myself were elected on and is strongly supported across the political spectrum in the Commons.
“For it to have been thwarted by a minority peers was a terrible denial of democracy and shocked many people.
Campaigners blasted a “list of shame” last month, uncovered by the Express, which shows seven giraffes, two lions and one cheetah were among the species brought into Britain in 2022.
In September, Mr Smith MP’s Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill had its Committee Stage in the House of Lords where it was deliberately blocked by a small minority of pro-hunting Lords.
This landmark piece of legislation would have stopped hunters bringing to the UK the dead parts of endangered wild animals, brutally killed for their so-called entertainment.
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He said: “Voters have said repeatedly that this is a priority issue for them. Among supporters of my own party, the Conservatives, 92% want the ban brought in as quickly as possible.
“Only 1% of Conservative voters are opposed.”
Mr Smith urged MPs to appear in the Commons on March 22 - a Friday, when most are in their constituencies - to vote on the identical Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill on March 22.
Sonul Badiani-Hamment, country director at Four Paws UK said: ““From magnificent lions and elephants to reclusive bears, leopard and cheetah, thousands are a target for British hunters.
“Even the small vervet monkey and the shy civet cat have been tracked down, shot, and shipped home as trophies to hang on someone's wall.
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“The myth that is often peddled is that this 'sport' benefits conservation efforts, but in reality, it’s just a money-making business for its operators.
“That myth needs to be dispelled and the realities of trophy hunting made clear. The UK has an important role to play in this.”
By Henry Smith, Conservative MP for Crawley
I very much hope MPs will join me and come to the House Commons on Friday 22 March to support the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.
The bill is being led by John Spellar MP and is identical to the Commons bill which I brought to the House last March when it passed unanimously with the support of the government and MPs from all parties.
Sadly, the bill was killed off by a small group of Lords when it reached their House.
It is vital that Great Britain acts to help put an end to trophy hunting. It is equally vital we help to restore faith in our democratic system.
A ban was promised in the 2019 manifesto that Conservative MPs such as myself were elected on and is strongly supported across the political spectrum in the Commons.
For it to have been thwarted by a minority peers was a terrible denial of democracy and shocked many people.
We must now work together to get this bill passed as quickly as possible. Since 2019, when the ban was first promised, British trophy hunters have killed another more than 700 endangered animals.
The trophies they brought home include the bodies, heads, feet and tails of captive-bred Lions shot in enclosed fields – so called sick ‘canned hunting’.
They also include the bodies of bears, the feet of elephants and giraffes, the tusks of elephants and hippos, and the skins of leopards and zebras.
Other animals shot by British hunters include monkeys and wild cats. In the past few years, trophy hunters from the UK have even shot endangered Polar bears and cheetahs for sport and a trophy for their walls.
Voters have said repeatedly that this is a priority issue for them. Among supporters of my own party, the Conservatives, 92% want the ban brought in as quickly as possible. Only 1% of Conservative voters are opposed.
Opinion polls also show that 8 out of 10 voters expect their local MP to come to Parliament to vote for the bill.
The Second Reading of John Spellar MP’s bill is on Friday 22 March, a day many MPs traditionally spend in their constituencies. I very much hope that on this occasion, for the sake of democracy and the world’s dwindling endangered wildlife, they turn up to the Commons in force.
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