Hunting trophies inquiry

[Conor O'Gorman]

On Friday 2 July the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee launched an inquiry into the planned Animals Abroad Bill - which is intended to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals abroad, by ensuring ‘UK imports and exports of hunting trophies are not threatening the conservation status of species abroad.’

The legislation will also ban the advertising and sale of 'low animal welfare experiences' abroad, such as elephant rides. This Bill is intended to 'reinforce the UK's position as a global champion of animal rights'.

The EFRA committee is seeking answers to the following questions, with an initial deadline of 23 September:

1. Will the Government’s proposals on the export and import of hunting trophies effectively support the conservation of endangered species?
2. Should there be different rules for the trade in animal trophies depending on the setting in which the animal was hunted?
3. What are the possible unintended consequences of the proposals, for example in relation to animal trophies that pre-date the legislation?
4. How effective are current measures on the trade in trophies of hunting, including how they support conservation?
5. What will be the impact of the proposed domestic ban on advertising and offering for sale overseas attractions, activities or experiences that involve the unacceptable treatment of animals?
6. Who should be responsible for ensuring attractions, activities or experiences overseas do not cause the unacceptable treatment of animals?

Trophy hunting and elephant rides: Will proposed new laws be effective in tackling cruelty to animals overseas? - Committees - UK Parliament

<p>Today, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee launch a new inquiry into Animals Abroad. The inquiry will scrutinise the new Bill, investigating whether the proposed measures will be effective in conserving species, and how new rules could impact on local communities and...

committees.parliament.uk

 

[User00047]

Why the **** have they lumped riding elephants in with importing hunting memorabilia???

 

[Tazz]

Why the **** have they lumped riding elephants in with importing hunting memorabilia???

Yes not wishing to split hairs but there is a big difference between riding Elephants and shooting them

 

[User00047]

Yes not wishing to split hairs but there is a big difference between riding Elephants and shooting them

Exactly.
Riding elephants is cruelty.
Whereas, Shooting a surplus of elephants from a sustainable population is good wildlife management.

 

[Selous]

@Conor O'Gorman Thanks for posting this .

 

[andyk]

Hi @Conor O'Gorman, is there any indication of how ‘low animal welfare experiences’ will be defined?

I’d think that the antis would say shooting is by definition low welfare, so a broad interpretation could be very troublesome.

 

[TomDeer]

Exactly.
Riding elephants is cruelty.

Is that not slightly problematic? If riding elephants is cruelty, why is not riding a horse also cruelty? Both have been used for transporting people in different parts of the world.

 

[TomDeer]

Thanks @Conor O'Gorman for posting this.

 

[Tazz]

Is that not slightly problematic? If riding elephants is cruelty, why is not riding a horse also cruelty? Both have been used for transporting people in different parts of the world.

Plus I think an Elephant can stand the extra weight better than a horse ( speaking as non horse riding expert, so just a hunch on my part)

 

[User00047]

Is that not slightly problematic? If riding elephants is cruelty, why is not riding a horse also cruelty? Both have been used for transporting people in different parts of the world.

Nope. Both are cruel.

 

[TomDeer]

Nope. Both are cruel.

Well I guess that is a consistent position.

I can't say I really have an axe to grind on horse or elephant riding as I'm as unlikely to be seen on an elephant as a horse. If the horsey folk think there's any chance of a ban on advertising elephant rides abroad impacting on their ability to ride Dobbin here, I guess there'll be howls of protest across the land though.

 

[Apthorpe]

The whole exercise is legislative colonialism.
How elephants get treated, or how animals are hunted, shot or skinned in other countries is absolutely no business of our government.

 

[shakey jake]

The whole exercise is legislative colonialism.
How elephants get treated, or how animals are hunted, shot or skinned in other countries is absolutely no business of our government.

but bojos new bimbo isnt in the gov, strange how things happen

 

[starr shot]

but bojos new bimbo isnt in the gov, strange how things happen

But she is likely to be the puppeteer who pulls the strings.Pillow talk can pull a man further than dynamite can blow him.

 

[starr shot]

I’ve hunted all over with lots of different people from multi millionaires to people that have saved for years to go on a trip.What turns people most is hunting animals bred then released a day or so before being killed.This is what started this in the first place with the killing of what’s his name the lion who I know wasn’t bred for that purpose but it got people talking.

 

[enfieldspares]

I’ve hunted all over with lots of different people from multi millionaires to people that have saved for years to go on a trip.What turns people most is hunting animals bred then released a day or so before being killed.This is what started this in the first place with the killing of what’s his name the lion who I know wasn’t bred for that purpose but it got people talking.

Be careful what you wish for. Intensive driven pheasant shooting is but that with a longer delay between release and being sent over the gun line.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmmm. Speaking of cruelty to elephants - how about uprooting them from their familiar environment, stuffing them in a “crate”, transporting them by air thousands of miles then releasing them into a totally hostile and alien environment? Some treatment for these most intelligent and sensitive of animals and all so some idiots might be able to claim a ”rewilding” success. See the ‘Surely they are joking” thread earlier today. Let us see what happens over the next few months…..

 

[Apthorpe]

But she is likely to be the puppeteer who pulls the strings.Pillow talk can pull a man further than dynamite can blow him.

Are you referring to Johnson or Goldsmith?

 

[NullMac]

Click bait for the moaners and the paranoid.

However no-one has picked out the key phrase:

endangered animals abroad

So what is the definition of "endangered" ?

Why should it be remotely contentious to want to stop people killing "endangered" animals ?

 

[stubear]

Is that not slightly problematic? If riding elephants is cruelty, why is not riding a horse also cruelty? Both have been used for transporting people in different parts of the world.

Its not so much the physical riding of the elephant that is cruelty, but the animals that are roped into providing this service are treated pretty appallingly by many accounts. Long days, overloaded with people, poor accommodation, not enough food or water, beatings in some cases...

I actually have more of an issue with animals being kept in those sorts of conditions than I do with a sustainable population of wild animals being culled.