Five African nations have launched a withering attack on Labour’s plan to ban the import of big game hunting trophies.
A spokesman for the indigenous peoples of southern Africa also weighed in, saying the move to bar mounted heads and similar trophies was ‘colonial and hypocritical’.
The London ambassadors and high commissioners of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Tanzania have sent a scathing letter to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.
The diplomats say their calls for an urgent meeting on British conservation policy have been ignored and that the proposed ban will cause severe damage to endangered animals and villagers.
They wrote: ‘The UK Government‘s ongoing commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies has major implications for conservation outcomes and the UK’s long-standing commitment to the wellbeing of rural communities in our nations.
‘An import prohibition may unintentionally weaken conservation systems that have proven effective in our region.’
An unnamed British hunter poses with a dead African elephant. Labour has planned to ban the import of big game hunting
Last year Lorraine Kelly teamed up with Ricky Gervais in his campaign to raise awareness against trophy hunting
And the president of lobby group Indigenous Peoples Network of Southern Africa, Anthony Williams, wrote to Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying: ‘In many remote areas, regulated hunting is one of the few reliable ways to fund conservation.
‘Revenues from the selective harvesting of older animals pay for anti-poaching patrols, support rangers who protect rural communities, and maintain large wildlife areas that tourism alone cannot sustain.’ He also noted the Government has no plans to ban trophy heads from the thousands of deer shot in Britain every year.
Mr Williams said the hypocritical move to ban trophies from African hunts without consulting indigenous people ‘risks repeating patterns reminiscent of the colonial past’. Last year Lorraine Kelly teamed up with Ricky Gervais in his campaign to raise awareness against trophy hunting.
The TV presenter wrote on social media: ‘Proud to support this campaign! It’s a DISGRACE that UK hunters can kill elephants for fun… #BanTrophyHunting.’
