Biggest Ever Global Exposé of Trophy Hunting Industry

10 years on from the global outrage at the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe by an American trophy hunter, the full extent of the still-thriving global trophy hunting industry can be starkly revealed today. 

Since Cecil’s shooting in 2015, 10,000 more lions have been killed by trophy hunters. There are now believed to be only around 20,000 wild lions left in Africa today. In the 1970s that figure was around 200,000.  

But that’s just one headline in a far wider picture. The most recent figures show that in 2023 alone hunters took home over 25,000 bodies and body parts from 100 threatened species and an estimated 100,000 trophies were taken from all wild species.

In response, the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting is calling for an immediate moratorium on trophy hunting of all threatened species and for Governments to stop issuing permits for their export and import. At the same time, the charity wants to see a global treaty to finally end trophy hunting, and instead support conservation and development including through sustainable eco-tourism.

Breaking the most recent figures down, hunters from the USA (12,180 trophy imports), Mexico (6,358), Germany (1,190), Denmark (991) and Spain (567) were the worst culprits for importing species that are either at risk of extinction, including cheetahs, leopards and Himalayan brown bears; critically endangered, including black rhinoceroses and African Elephants; or threatened, including white rhinoceroses, polar bears, giraffes and hippopotamuses as well as lions.

Canada was by far the biggest exporter, with 5,982 wild animals which are on threated species lists killed as trophies leaving the country in 2023, the most recent year for which figures are available. These included polar bears as Canada has never banned their hunting unlike the other polar countries, including the US and Russia.  South Africa with 3,882 and Namibia with 3,069 were next on the list.

To expose the widespread and barely controlled practice of trophy hunting around the world, the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting’s founder Eduardo Gonçalves is using the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the Lion to publish three highly researched books on the issue:

• “Twenty Elephants in 75 Minutes” saw the author join Safari Club International, the world’s biggest trophy hunting organisation,to find out why trophy hunters kill ‘big game’ animals and what they really think about it. The book names 25 of the world’s top trophy hunters today, detailing how many animals each has killed, their trophy rooms and the stories of their most memorable ‘big game’ hunts.

• “Shoot One Lion – Get One FREE” investigates the world’s leading trophy hunting companies: businesses with the highest number of kills; ones that specialise in endangered species such as rhinos, polar bears and cheetahs; and companies where you can shoot species that are extinct in the wild.

• “Mainlining on Heroin” which profiles 100 of the leading British trophy hunters and CEOs of UK companies that sell hunting ‘holidays’.

At the same time the charity is releasing a 50-minute undercover documentary exposing the UK’s trophy hunting industry by visiting the trophy rooms of top UK hunters, the workshops of British taxidermists & the South African hunting estates leased by UK-owned businesses where Brits shoot elephants and giraffes.

Much of the footage and many of the interviews in the documentary have never been seen before. Similarly, the books expose the activities of multiple individuals and companies for the first time.

Steve Chancellor, a top donor and fundraiser for President Donald Trump, is revealed as the world's all-time leading lion hunter. Chancellor has broken the world record for shooting the largest-ever lion, currently has two of his lions in Safari Club International's top 10, and no fewer than 17 lions in their Record Book. He is also the current world record holder for shooting the largest leopard known to humanity. His wife Teri and son Shane also feature in the record books. Other record-class animals the trio have shot include elephants and white rhinos. 

Footage to view and download (copyright free & with no restrictions on usage):

Documentary without subtitles – https://vimeo.com/1094448138/46b99a25d3?ts=0&share=copy

Documentary without subtitles or music – https://vimeo.com/1093032987/d7e7104c27

Documentary with subtitles – https://vimeo.com/1094118269/8c9aa9c463