Carrie takes aim at puffin killers in first public outing
PM’S girlfriend adds her voice to growing calls to ban trophy hunting during appearance at Birdfair
‘It is cruel, it is sick, it is cowardly and I will never, ever understand the motivation to do it’
‘A million sea birds die every year as a result of ingesting plastic... Quite simply, there is still so much that needs to be done’
TROPHY hunting is “cruel, sick and cowardly”, Carrie Symonds declared last night at her first public engagement in her new role as the girlfriend of the Prime Minister.
Miss Symonds, who moved into Downing Street with Boris Johnson last month, addressed a crowd of birdwatchers at Rutland Water’s Birdfair.
Wearing a dress made of recycled cotton by British designer Justine Tabak, she took aim at hunters who shoot puffins for fun.
Miss Symonds, who has been in a relationship with Mr Johnson since last year, told the audience of her unbridled joy at seeing her first puffin “in all its glory” last month at Bempton Cliffs in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Then, changing tack, she spoke of her horror at seeing a photograph in an article in The Sunday Telegraph a fortnight ago of a puffin, “his bloodstained body lined up alongside dozens of others, all slaughtered by so-called “trophy hunters” on trips to Iceland.
“I ask you, why would anyone want to shoot a puffin? Why would anyone want to destroy something so beautiful, then stuff its poor lifeless body to keep as some kind of macabre trophy?
“A trophy is meant to be a prize. Something you’re awarded if you’ve achieved something of merit that requires great skill and talent.
“Trophy hunting is not that. It is the opposite of that. It is cruel, it is sick, it is cowardly and I will never, ever understand the motivation to do it.
“And when we look at trophy hunting, when we look at habitat loss, when we look at climate change and the catastrophic levels of plastic pollution in our oceans – a million sea birds die every year as a result of ingesting plastic – when we look at all that we see why events like Birdfair are so important.
“Because, quite simply, there is still so much that needs to be done”
Miss Symonds,
31, a campaigner for ocean charity
Oceana, is thought to have influenced senior
Tory figures to adopt eco-friendly policies, and many campaigners now wonder whether the Prime Minister will follow her lead on trophy hunting.
The Government is unable to ban hunters going abroad to shoot rare animals, and does not ban hunters from bringing their trophies back to the UK. This means that animal parts, including from lions, tigers and elephants, are legally brought into the country.
There has been a mounting campaign to end trophy hunting, led by MPS including Zac Goldsmith, the new international development minister, who has recently hosted campaigners in Parliament.
In April, Michael Gove, the then environment secretary, told the BBC that the issue was a “delicate political balancing act”, and that he had been advised by wildlife charities to “be cautious” in following other countries in outlawing imports of animal bodies killed for sport.
Miss Symonds described how she had recently become an avid birdwatcher. “While part of me wishes I’d discovered ornithology a lot earlier, I also think I’m quite lucky – because there are all kind of wonderful sights and sounds that I’m getting to experience for the very first time,” she said. Before her speech Miss Symonds shared a vegan dinner with Chris Packham, the BBC Autumnwatch presenter and animal rights activist. Dominic Dyer, the Badger Trust chief executive who invited her to the event, showered her with praise. He said: “It was great to see Carrie Symonds speaking at Birdfair this evening. Whatever your political views, having such a passionate animal welfare campaigner in Downing Street is to be welcomed.” Even her dress made a political point. Sources close to Miss Symonds said she chose the recycled ocean plastic dress by Tabak because the brand follows “slow fashion” principles, involving avoiding surplus stock and having timeless styles that are made to last for years. Miss Symonds – who is reported to be receiving informal advice from Samantha Cameron in her new role – met hospice campaigners in her first reception at No10 this week.