Banning trophy hunting

Did you know?

Supporters claim trophy hunting helps communities and wildlife by putting money in local people’s hands and culling weak or old animals. But in reality, very little money — as little as 3% of trophy hunting revenue — reaches the areas where hunting happens, and trophy hunters often seek the biggest, strongest animals to kill.

*Species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are currently threatened by overexploitation through trade or may become so if trade isn’t regulated.

The killing of animals for trophies and trinkets threatens not only the survival of threatened and endangered species, but the populations of iconic species overall and it demands the strongest possible deterrence.

—Jennifer Hillman, vice president, wildlife protection

Inside the problem

Trophy hunters kill for bragging rights and animal parts. Banning or restricting the transport and trade of hunting trophies from species threatened by trade takes away these motivations. In the U.S., state and federal laws and regulations can reduce or stop the trophy hunting of native carnivores.

Glenn Nagel/Alamy Stock Photo

Legal challenges

We petition governments to protect vulnerable animals under national laws from harmful international trade. In the U.S., we litigate to protect species listed under the Endangered Species Act, like gray wolves and grizzly bears.

Mother bear with cub taxidermy for sate at Circle M's fall auction

The HSUS

Airline bans

We collaborate with airlines to prohibit the transport of hunting trophies. The top five of the world’s largest airline groups have banned the transport of certain or all hunting trophies on their carriers, and travel companies, such as Booking.com and Expedia, have banned the sale or promotion of trophy hunts on their sites.

lynx taxidermy trophy on display at Safari Club International's annual convention in Reno, Nevada

N/A/The HSUS

Government action

We support and win bans around the world on the import of hunting trophies from imperiled species, and work at the U.S. state and federal level to reduce and end the trophy hunting of native carnivores.

Trophy hunter standing with rifle over body of dead wild giraffe

Stuart Abraham/Alamy Stock photo

Public awareness

We campaign globally against trophy hunting of vital and imperiled species and the international trade in hunting trophies. This work reminds people that trophy hunting is still happening and contributing to wildlife population decline.

David Keith Jones/

Animals are not trophies

In the U.S. alone, trophy hunters kill more than 100,000 native carnivores every year for their fur. Take action to stop this cruel and unnecessary practice.

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Jean Chung/For Humane World for Animals