Dame Judi backing campaign to stop sick trophy hunt trade
DAME Judi Dench is pushing for a ban on trophy hunting after backing a book which reveals the trade’s links to key supporters of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Thousands of big cats, elephants and rhinos – including endangered species – are shot by wealthy hunters annually, often in hunts where the animals cannot escape.
Trophy Hunters Exposed – Inside the Big Game Industry claims that the industry is stitching up the system by pumping millions into supporting politicians, particularly in the US.
It names a trophy hunter who is thought to be the only man in history to have killed more than 100 lions and 1,000 elephants – and who has more than 4,000 kills.
The book, written by former WWF consultant Eduardo
Goncalves, describes trophy hunting as “a generously-funded lobbying machine” which dresses up its sport as conservation.
Top star Dame Judi wrote: “If this book doesn’t get trophy hunting banned I don’t know what will. This is an incredible investigation that reveals everything the industry would rather you didn’t know.”
Ab Fab star Joanna Lumley said: “Trophy hunting is legalised animal abuse on an industrial scale. We cannot call ourselves civilised while we allow trophy hunting.”
The foreword is written by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who grew up in Africa.
He said: “As many as 1.7 million animals have been killed by trophy hunters over the past decade.
“Hundreds of thousands of these are from species protected by law because scientists say they are at risk of extinction. Yet the slaughter continues unabated.”
The books says the industry’s influence goes to the top of politics, with supporters including a leading fundraiser for President Trump and a former right-hand man of Russia’s President Putin.
It says that in America 300 of the 535 members of Congress are members of the pro-hunting Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation as are half of all US state Governors. It tells how a
British salesman is marketing hunting holidays where clients can shoot juvenile lions in enclosures.
And it names 500 hunters who have recently won awards for shooting all the “African Big Five” – lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes.
Trophy hunters exposed in the media recently have included Briton Emily Hadfield and American Guy Gorney.
Author Eduardo, the founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, urged the British Government to act on its pledge to ban trophy imports.
He said:“The UK Government promised in the Queen’s Speech to ban trophy imports.
“A ban is supported by crossparty MPs and over 80 per cent of the public. A public consultation on proposals concluded in February, but since then there has been deafening silence.”