Trophy hunting

Trophy hunting can both directly threaten endangered species and compound threats such as habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, disease, pollution, and human–wildlife conflict by targeting the most reproductively and socially important animals. These animals are essential to healthy and resilient populations. Removing these animals can disrupt social structures, reduce genetic diversity, obstruct generational transfers of ecological knowledge necessary to survive, and contribute to population decline, especially when hunting is poorly regulated.  

Efforts to end international trophy hunting focus on removing the incentives that drive the practice. This includes supporting bans on trophy imports from species threatened by trade, pursuing legal protections for vulnerable species, working with airlines and travel companies to block trophy transport and sales, and advocating for stronger local, national, and international wildlife protections. 

Public education campaigns also help expose the cruelty and conservation risks of trophy hunting, as well as dispelling common myths used by the trophy hunting industry. The premise that trophy hunting makes positive contributions to species conservation is strongly predicated on the fact that offtake is well-regulated, and decisions are based on high-quality population data. However, these two requirements are largely not met. 

Trophy hunting results in the killing of large numbers of animals each year. In the United States alone, trophy hunters kill more than 100,000 native carnivores annually. Globally, we estimate hundreds of thousands of wild animals are killed each year for trophies, including many species that are already under pressure from habitat loss and other threats. The most consolidated data source available regarding trophy hunting is the CITES Trade Database, where countries self-report the number of hunting trophies imported and exported each year of species regulated under the Convention. 

These are species that are currently threatened by trade or may become threatened by trade without intervention. The U.S. is the largest importer of such hunting trophies, accounting for nearly 75% of global trade. The EU is the second largest. Since this database only covers CITES-listed species that are traded internationally, the true number of animals trophy hunted around the world each year is vastly larger. 

Trophy hunting takes place in many countries around the world. The trophy hunting industry encompasses both domestic trophy hunters as well as foreign trophy hunters who travel internationally to target rare and iconic species.  

The 10 largest exporters of hunting trophies from CITES-listed species are South Africa, Canada, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Russia, and Tanzania. Despite not being top international exporters of CITES-listed hunting trophies, other countries such as the U.S. and some EU Member States have significantly high domestic trophy hunting rates.