80% of UK voters want trophy hunting ban this month

A Private Members Bill which would outlaw the import of hunting kills to Britain goes to parliamentary vote on 17th March, and already has strong cross-party support.

The proposed Sally’s Law takes its name from a tiger cub that was safely rescued from trophy hunters in South Africa last year. The event helped reignite debate on the practice. 

Hundreds of endangered animals still fall victim to hunters, with current UK legislation permitting kills to be brought back to the country for taxidermy and display purposes. A British-based industry based around overseas hunting vacations is still very much active. 

It’s estimated around 5,000 trophies of animals classed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species have been transported into Great Britain in the past 40 years. The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, which managed to save Sally, has been instrumental in supporting the Bill, which is scheduled for Report Stage and Third Reading in Westminster later this month. 

Based on polling by Survation, 80% of the public believe their MP should be present in Parliament on 17th March to back the legislation. Nine-in-ten Conservative, Liberal Democrat, SNP, PC and DUP voters agree on this, dropping slightly to eight-in-ten for Labour supporters. 

‘Many people are shocked to learn trophy hunting still goes on. Survation’s results reflect people’s clear views on this issue. It’s critical that people encourage their local MP to attend the House of Commons on March 17th to enact the world’s strictest legislation and help prevent the brutal killing of innocent animals,’ said Eduardo Gonçalves, Founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. 

Members of the public are being asked to lobby their MP ahead of the vote on 17th March. They can do so via an automatic system for making contact, which is found here.

Image: Edewaa Foster