BRUSSELS, Belgium - Humane World for Animals Europe (previously called Humane Society International) welcomes today’s announcement by the French Government that it will end imports of hunting trophies from threatened species into France, calling it a major step forward for wildlife protection and a clear signal that the import of hunting trophies from threatened species is increasingly out of step with the European public’s concern for wildlife. France’s Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition, Mathieu Lefèvre, has confirmed that France will introduce a “total ban on the import of hunting trophies from endangered species” and that examination of all import permit applications has been suspended as of today.
Ruud Tombrock, executive director of Humane World for Animals Europe, says: “France’s decision is an important step for the protection of endangered species and wider biodiversity. It shows that public concern for threatened wildlife can be translated into concrete political action. Humane World for Animals has been campaigning for stronger restrictions on hunting trophy imports at both EU level and in Member States, and this decision strengthens the case for the European Commission to act. By bringing forward an EU-wide ban on imports of hunting trophies from endangered and protected species, the Commission could help protect animals and biodiversity, and prevent fragmentation of the EU Single Market.”
The decision builds on France’s existing prohibition on lion trophy imports, introduced after the killing of Cecil the lion in 2015, and follows more than three years of coordinated advocacy by Humane World for Animals Europe alongside Convergence Animaux Politique (CAP), supported by Born Free Foundation, Brigitte Bardot Foundation, FOUR PAWS, Jane Goodall Institute France , The Animal Law, Ethics and Science Foundation, and 30 Millions d'Amis.
Public support in France has been clear, with 91% of French citizens declaring themselves in favour of a ban on the import of trophies of endangered species. The scale of trophy imports shows why the decision matters beyond France: between 2015 and 2024, France imported 827 hunting trophies from CITES-listed mammal species, such as leopards, African elephants and hippos. Significantly, the EU is the world’s second-largest importer of hunting trophies from mammal species threatened by trade, with 27.361 hunting trophies from CITES-listed mammals imported between 2015 and 2024, after the United States.
Martina Pluda, country director at Humane World for Animals Italy, says: “We congratulate the French Government for introducing a ban on the import of hunting trophies from threatened species, a measure that demonstrates how commitment to biodiversity protection can be translated into concrete action. We hope that the Italian Parliament will follow this example by finally approving the bill inspired by our #NotInMyWorld campaign, which has been stalled for years despite broad public support. Between 2014 and 2024, Italy imported 546 hunting trophies from 27 CITES-listed mammal species, including the critically endangered black rhinoceros. It is difficult to understand why a measure aimed at addressing this trade has remained blocked for years, while the Hunting Bill, which seeks to weaken protections for wildlife, has moved through the parliamentary process at an extremely rapid pace. Political priorities should reflect the growing public commitment to animal protection, now also recognised in the Italian Constitution, rather than moving in the opposite direction.”
Over the past five years, Humane World for Animals has led advocacy across Europe and at EU level to secure national and EU-wide restrictions on trophy imports. France now adds to growing national momentum in Europe, where the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium have already introduced restrictions on certain hunting trophy imports. Today’s announcement by the French Government also reflects a wider shift in public and political attitudes: across Europe, the killing of threatened wildlife for trophies is increasingly seen as unacceptable.
Although the European Parliament called for an import ban in 2022, EU rules still allow hunting trophies to enter as “personal items” if the correct permits are in place. France’s decision adds to growing pressure for the EU to close those gaps and end its role as a destination market for hunting trophies from internationally protected species.
Humane World for Animals Europe urges the European Commission to turn this momentum into binding EU-wide action and bring forward an EU ban on imports of hunting trophies from threatened species without further delay. With the EU remaining the world’s second-largest importer of hunting trophies, EU-level legislation is needed to ensure threatened wildlife receives stronger and more consistent protection across all Member States.
Trophy hunting is hunting for the primary purpose of obtaining the bodies and parts of wild animals as souvenirs or “trophies” or for bragging rights, cash and other prizes. Humane World for Animals works to strengthen legal protections, reduce demand for wild animal parts and products, and mitigate human-wildlife conflict for targeted species. In Australia, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and across Africa, we work to reduce or ban international trade in hunting trophies from imperiled species. Additionally, in the United States and across Africa we strive to reduce or end trophy hunting of keystone species such as native carnivores and rhinos.
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Notes
- Trophy hunting poses a grave threat to biodiversity and ecosystem stability. It involves the killing of wild animals for the purpose of exhibiting their heads, skins or other body parts as trophies. This cruel and detrimental activity exacerbates the decline of species, endangering their survival and disrupting ecosystems.
- The French Government’s announcement confirms regulatory measures in France will now also cover those species afforded higher levels of protection under EU wildlife trade rules (species listed in Annex A of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97), as well as a number of additional threatened species for which the European Union already requires import permits (Annex B species included in Annex XIII of Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006).
- The Netherlands (2016), Australia (2018), Colombia (2019), Finland (2023) and Belgium (2024) have already banned the import of certain hunting trophies.
- In its revised EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking, the European Commission committed to “Apply increased scrutiny to imports of hunting trophies (for example by: (i) exploring extending the requirement for an import permit for hunting trophies of additional species covered by Annex B of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97; (ii) work with international partners to update available evidence on the impacts of trophy hunting on wildlife; and (iii) making opinions of the Scientific Review Group on country-species combinations for importing hunting trophies more transparent).”
- Trophy hunting is not just rejected by an overwhelming majority of French and European citizens: in South Africa, for example, which is Africa’s main exporter of wildlife trophies, two out of three people questioned said they were against trophy hunting. [Humane World for Animals Europe (2022). “Report: Hunting - Ipsos Khayabus W1 2022” conducted by Ipsos South Africa.]
