Campaigns
GMFER’s Collaborative Campaign to End Trophy Hunting
Trophy hunting is a quintessential remnant of the worst aspects of colonialism.
“Animals have few rights, but they have every right to be here”
Anthony Douglas
Campaign Objectives
To amplify GMFER’s stance that sentient creatures are not commodities in service of humans. Animals have an inalienable right to exist, free from human induced fear and harm.
To ban the import and export of animal trophies and ensure such bans are enforced
To make the case that profits from trophy hunting do not objectively enrich the life of indigenous peoples who benefit from trophy hunting.
To educate and raise awareness about ecotourism as a viable and necessary alternative to killing. To amplify, encourage and support economic enterprises centered on ecotourism, specifically those owned or co-owned by indigenous communities.
#LetAfricaLive. Trophy hunting is a persistent, unethical, and gruesome challenge legally endorsed within many of the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Compounding the problem, western Nations continue to permit the import of trophies from Africa; even those of species listed as Endangered on the IUCN’s Red List.
Trophy hunting is not conservation; while it does allocate a marginal fraction of the profits gained from the ugly enterprise to local communities, the neocolonial initiative is quintessential of an exploitive, unsustainable and destructive ethos whose shelf life has expired.
#GMFER collaborates with multiple organizations to end trophy hunting and to ban the import of trophies from Africa to western nations. Ban Trophy Hunting, KUAPO, House of Kenya and many good individuals work with #GMFER to #LetAfricaLive.
The battle to end trophy hunting and protect elephants was dealt a serious blow in 2019 when the current president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, canceled the long-standing ban on trophy hunting first installed in 2014 by former president, Ian Khama. The result has been an increase in killing of prized ‘large-tusked’ elephants, spurring the demise of Africa’s great bulls throughout the continent. Misguided developments have continued in Botswana; with the blessings of President Masisi, the 19th African Wildlife Conservation Forum (AWCF) convened by Safari Club International (SCI) was held in Botswana in 2021. SCI is the ‘premier’ trophy hunting club in the world.
In response, GMFER mounted a Spotlight Expose campaign on social media targeting the AWCF convention, drawing attention to the egregious display of hunted trophies at the convention and highlighting the blatant promotion of trophy hunting in Botswana and many other African nations.
The global campaign to end trophy hunting saw progress in 2021 when a legislative measure was introduced in the United Kingdom banning the import of trophies from 1000 species, specifically elephants, rhinos, African buffalo, zebra and reindeer. In March of 2023, the measure passed the House of Commons with a notable amendment banning nearly 6000 species, including polar bear and lion. As of this writing, the measure awaits final approval from the House of Lords.
Sources
– In Defense of Animals
– Government of UK
– BBC News
Watch this space for more!
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GMFER’s Collaborative Campaign to End Trophy Hunting BLOG
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