Latest news with #CampaigntoBanTrophyHunting
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit-born hunter 'normalised killing animals for fun' with bloodthirsty brags
Robin Hurt has helped trophy hunters kill a variety of majestic animals but defended his industry, calling it "one of the best ways to fund the conservation of wildlife" One of Britain's top trophy hunters has boasted about his bloodthirsty exploits helping clients to slaughter elephants, leopards, hippos and lions. Robin Hurt features on a list of the world 's most notorious hunters named in connection with a new book published next week to tie in with the 10th anniversary of the slaughter of Cecil the lion by American dentist Walter Palmer. His sickening brag is included in his autobiography where he also said: 'I thoroughly enjoy hunting leopards'. His exploits had been uncovered by Eduardo Goncalves, the founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, who discovered Hurt shot his first leopard at the age of 12 and his first elephant at 17. Author of "Mainlining on Heroin", Eduardo Goncalves, said: 'Robin Hurt is more than just a trophy hunter, he is a symbol of an industry that has normalised killing animals for fun. His career spans the colonial era to the modern safari business, and yet the ethos remains the same — it's about domination and death, dressed up as tradition and sport. This is not conservation. It is cruelty with a price tag.' Robin, now 80, dubbed 'the hunter's hunter', was born in London but moved to Windhoek, Namibia to be closer to the animals he arranges hunts for. His firm - Robin Hurt Safaris - is ranked 11th in Safari Club International's Record Book — a grotesque leaderboard of death — after helping hunters kill at least 37 record-breaking leopards, 16 hippos, 14 lions, three elephants, and countless antelope, hyenas and other species. One leopard killed under Hurt's guidance is currently ranked as the 14th largest ever recorded. Some animals, including a white-eared kob and a tiang, were reportedly shot using revolvers. His autobiography, A Hunter's Hunter, published in 2020, reveals that he has shot with clients '100-pound tuskers (elephants), 200-pound leopards, 10-foot lions with heavy manes, and 30-inch-plus rhinos.' According to the publishers, Safari Press, 'Robin's record is an unsurpassed accomplishment in the history of African hunting.' In the sickening autobiography, he also tells the story of how a dead elephant provided bait for an unsuspecting lion. He wrote: 'We took off after the jumbo. Bob took a side brain shot, perfectly placed. The old boy never felt a thing. Now. Lion like elephant meat! We had a readymade bait!' Eduardo Gonclaves explains the elephant is skinned, and its meat dragged along the ground to a place where lions often hunt. Robin Hurt continues [in his autobiography]: "A big heavy maned lion! There was a convenient ant hill offering perfect cover for a stalk. The possibility of the Big Five[the five most challenging and dangerous animals to hunt on foot in Africa: the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and African buffalo], all in one day!' Investigators for the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting also contacted Hurt to ask whether it would be possible to hunt leopards and cheetahs. 'Cheetah, unlike leopard, can't be baited,' he wrote in an email. 'So it's purely a matter of luck getting a chance at one. Having said that, when hunting we are always on the look out for tracks.' Cheetahs are Africa's most endangered big cat, with only 6,500 individuals left according to IUCN, the global conservation body. In response to hunting a leopard, he wrote 'We could do next year if that works for you. We hunt them by baiting. "We have a very healthy population of leopard in our area, and some particularly large males.' Hurt said he had a plethora of other animals that the investigators could come and shoot. 'We have large amounts of plains game here. In particular we have superb Kudu, Oryx, Red Hartebeest, Blue and Black Wildebeest, Hartmanns and Burchells Zebra, Warthog, Jackals, Klipspringer, Steenbuck, Brown Hyena, Caracal (very difficult to hunt - again by chance). 'For Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope , Blesbok and Eland we hunt on a nearby neighbors (sic) territory.' In a telephone call to investigators, speaking with a crisp cut-glass, upper-class English accent, he said: 'I love it here. 'I thoroughly enjoy hunting leopards. We're not allowed to live bait. We have to put like a zebra leg as a bait. 'If we're patient, you'll get a good shot. We've got some very big males in our area.' He suggested that the investigators bring their spouses along. 'They'll love it. We've got lots to do apart from hunting.' He also boasted of having lots of wealthy clients before complaining about efforts to ban hunting trophies in the UK. He blamed Carrie Johnson, wife of former PM Boris Johnson, for driving the legislation. 'She's a real anti. She just wants to kill the hunting industry.' But he warned that the investigators should come and hunt as soon as possible because of a looming UK Government ban on hunting trophies. 'I think things are about to change. I know there's big discussions going on and I don't know when the new regulations will come in – it will probably take a bit of time. But you're smart to come hunting now because I believe in a couple of years' time it's going to be very, very difficult to take trophies back to UK.' TV presenter Chris Packham, who has written the forward to "Mainlining on Heroin', said: 'We call ourselves a nation of animal-lovers. "Well, let's prove it. Let's help put an end to one of the most disgraceful forms of wildlife persecution in existence. Let's ban British hunters from bringing their trophies home. 'It's time to act. So if you love nature documentaries on TV, or The Lion King floats your musical boat, or if you grew up watching Disney's Dumbo - can I please ask you to ask your MP to get on with the job of banishing trophy hunting to the dustbin of history.' Robin Hurt said that 'safari hunting is one of the best ways to fund the conservation of wildlife and wilderness habitat outside of protected areas', and said that he offers a combination of legal licenced hunting and photography safaris on the land he manages. 'Take legal hunters out of the bush and they will immediately be replaced by illegal persons,' he added, referencing commercial poachers. He admitted to shooting his first leopard at 12 as it 'had been killing my grandmother's sheep' and said the elephant 'was a problem animal on Kenya's Ziwani Sisal estate.' In reference to the UK introducing a ban on imports, Hurt said it 'would be seriously damaging to humans that depend on and steward wildlife, let alone wildlife populations.' He also said that the Robin Hurt Wildlife Foundation has funded numerous schools, churches, water pipelines and other community projects, as well as caring for 14 rhinos funded by 'the legal use of common plains hunting'. Hunt denied shooting the elephant for bait, saying it was "legally shot by my client" but not to lure a lion. He also said he is now semi-retired and why he "may be a hunter" he is also a dedicated conservationist. "My livelihood depends on healthy and increasing wildlife numbers. There is very little difference between myself and a rancher, except I prefer to manage wild animals whereas a rancher manages domestic livestock," he said. It comes after Priscilla Presley has launched a blistering attack on the trophy hunting industry, calling it a 'sickness' that must be brought to an end. The actress and animal rights advocate, who famously married Elvis Presley, also backed the Mirror 's campaign to ban trophy hunting imports into the UK. Priscilla, 80, said: 'Ten years ago, the world learnt about the horrifying killing of Cecil the lion by an American dentist, Walter Palmer. Today it is going to learn about the terrifying scale of killing – even of endangered animals – that continues with the tacit blessing of governments and official bodies. 'Policymakers have had 10 years since Cecil was killed to act. Now they have no more excuses. The facts about this evil 'sport' are laid out as plainly as could be'. Conservationist Jane Goodall added 'the days of the great White Hunter should be brought to a close'. She said: 'If there were no industry, there would be no Walter Palmers. And Cecil would have lived out his life in peace, as he should have been able to do. 'Today's trophy hunting industry is a multi-million dollar business that is making a killing – literally - from the suffering and death of magnificent and often endangered animals. If we want to end trophy hunting – which we must – we should think about this vast industry.'
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Animal lovers urged to help Ban Trophy Hunting Campaign by Dame Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley is urging Bucks residents to write to their MP - Animal News Agency Animal lovers are being urged to join Dame Joanna Lumley in backing a new campaign to protect giraffes from the horrors of trophy hunting. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Absolutely Fabulous star has designed a striking new t-shirt featuring her own hand-drawn image of a giraffe, which is being sold in aid of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. The campaign launch coincides with rising fears over the future of the world's tallest mammal and comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the Lion, whose death shocked the world and exposed the brutal reality of the trophy hunting industry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've designed a t-shirt for the wonderful people at the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting who are working so hard to get this terrible practice outlawed,' said Dame Joanna. 'I hope you like the design, it comes straight from the heart, and proceeds go directly to support their amazing work. Let's remind the politicians of these beautiful animals and that we must protect them, not persecute them. Thank you!' Joanna Lumley wearing the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting t-shirt that she designed - Animal News Agency The shirt is now available to buy online in various styles, with all proceeds going directly to the campaign's work to stop the import of animal trophies into the UK. Campaign founder Eduardo Goncalves said: 'Joanna has been an unwavering champion for animals, and we are so grateful to her for lending her voice and her talent to this campaign. With Cecil's anniversary next week this is the perfect time to highlight the terrible toll trophy hunting continues to take, not only on giraffes, but on many threatened species. 'I urge everyone who cares about animals to help us finish what we started. Write to your MP and ask them to back the ban – or show your support by wearing Joanna's powerful new design.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), trophy hunters took home nearly 1,800 giraffe trophies in 2023 alone. These included body parts such as skins, bones, skulls, feet, and tails, with one particularly disturbing case involving giraffe genitalia seized by customs officers. Some of the giraffes shot had been bred in captivity specifically for the trophy hunting industry. The campaign t-shirt is available to order now from
Scotsman
3 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Animal lovers urged to help Ban Trophy Hunting Campaign by Dame Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley is urging Bucks residents to write to their MP - Animal News Agency Animal lovers are being urged to join Dame Joanna Lumley in backing a new campaign to protect giraffes from the horrors of trophy hunting. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Absolutely Fabulous star has designed a striking new t-shirt featuring her own hand-drawn image of a giraffe, which is being sold in aid of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. The campaign launch coincides with rising fears over the future of the world's tallest mammal and comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the Lion, whose death shocked the world and exposed the brutal reality of the trophy hunting industry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've designed a t-shirt for the wonderful people at the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting who are working so hard to get this terrible practice outlawed,' said Dame Joanna. 'I hope you like the design, it comes straight from the heart, and proceeds go directly to support their amazing work. Let's remind the politicians of these beautiful animals and that we must protect them, not persecute them. Thank you!' Joanna Lumley wearing the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting t-shirt that she designed - Animal News Agency The shirt is now available to buy online in various styles, with all proceeds going directly to the campaign's work to stop the import of animal trophies into the UK. Campaign founder Eduardo Goncalves said: 'Joanna has been an unwavering champion for animals, and we are so grateful to her for lending her voice and her talent to this campaign. With Cecil's anniversary next week this is the perfect time to highlight the terrible toll trophy hunting continues to take, not only on giraffes, but on many threatened species. 'I urge everyone who cares about animals to help us finish what we started. Write to your MP and ask them to back the ban – or show your support by wearing Joanna's powerful new design.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), trophy hunters took home nearly 1,800 giraffe trophies in 2023 alone. These included body parts such as skins, bones, skulls, feet, and tails, with one particularly disturbing case involving giraffe genitalia seized by customs officers. Some of the giraffes shot had been bred in captivity specifically for the trophy hunting industry.
