There’s no conservation motive or benefit behind the Uzbekistan government’s recent releases of more than 2,000 captive-bred Asian houbara bustards across its desert regions, according to an expert on the threatened species. The government has touted the releases over the past three months as a wildlife restoration effort, but Nigel Collar, a conservation biologist at […]
Tag: trophy hunting
Trump called trophy hunting a “horror show,” but permitted 300-plus elephant trophy imports in 2025
The U.S. issued more than 300 elephant trophy import permits during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to records obtained by U.S.-based NGO the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). It’s the most ever issued on Trump’s watch in a year, and indicates that as many as 300 elephants were killed. Trophies are usually […]
Trade in elephant ‘trophies’ soars during second Trump presidency
The number of permits for importing African elephant hunting trophies has increased dramatically in the United States according to an investigation by the Centre for Biological Diversity (CBD). The charity, which has 1.8 million members and is dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places, used the 1967 US Freedom of information Act to […]
‘Black Death’ buffalo shot dead after fatally goring millionaire American trophy hunter in ambush while being stalked
THE “Black Death” buffalo that gored a big game hunter to death has been shot dead. Millionaire ranch trader Asher Watkins, 52, was on Safari in Limpopo, South Africa last Sunday stalking the 3,000lb bull when he was fatally charged at. Without warning, the buffalo – considered Africa’s most dangerous animal – burst from cover […]
The value of South Africa’s wildlife shouldn’t be in the hands of wealthy foreign hunters (commentary)
South Africa’s conservation debate is too often anchored within the blunt slogan, “If it pays, it stays.” At face value, this appears pragmatic, even responsible. But there’s a troubling premise underneath it: the survival of South Africa’s wildlife depends on its ability to generate an enormous income for a select group of wealthy farmers and […]
Petition: France Must Ban Trophy Hunting Imports
In December 2025, Belgium’s Constitutional Court upheld a groundbreaking law banning the import of hunting trophies from endangered and at-risk species. The law protects elephants, lions, rhinos, jaguars, chimpanzees, cheetahs, hippos, and many more vulnerable animals from being reduced to decorative souvenirs. France cannot remain on the sidelines while its European neighbor takes decisive action […]
Why are conservationists alarmed about Botswana’s biggest elephant hunt?
Conservationists have raised the alarm about the Botswana government’s decision to increase its annual trophy-hunting quota for elephants, reigniting a debate over how the country should manage the world’s largest elephant population. Botswana, a largely dry nation which is home to 2.3 million people, has more than 130,000 elephants, nearly one-third of all elephants in […]
Durrell Trust finally ends blood sports tourism on its Scottish estate
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) has finally bowed to pressure from its supporters and ended pay-to-shoot deer stalking on the Dalnacardoch Estate in Scotland’s Cairngorms where the Trust runs a rewilding project. DWCT is a well-known Jersey-based conservation charity, founded by the popular late British author and naturalist Gerald Durrell. It has been involved […]