A record number of trophy hunting companies promoting trips to kill endangered species gathered at a British shooting show, sparking outrage from campaigners. Nearly a dozen firms, including Somerset-based Pro Stalk, were selling packages to Africa to shoot animals such as bears, elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions and zebras at the two-day Stalking Show in Staffordshire.
Organisers of the event, described as 'created by hunters, for hunters', attempted to ban a Daily Mirror reporter from attending, calling previous coverage 'a load of lies'. The reporter was recognised at the door and escorted off the site. However, a colleague managed to enter and document the event, which featured some of the most notorious names in the trophy hunting industry.
Eduardo Gonçalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, condemned the show as 'sick Kill Fests' where dead animal parts are displayed and shooting holidays are sold to 'grinning psychopaths'. He praised the Mirror for exposing the industry, adding: 'Shooting animals for fun is the act of cowards.'
Among the trips on offer, Pro Stalk Safaris was selling a giraffe hunt for £1,970, a hippo for £7,500, a mature black-maned lion for £14,206, and a mature male leopard for £6,500. The firm, run by former gamekeeper Derek Stocker, 69, from Somerset, also offered to arrange the slaughter of baboons for £200. Other stalls included Englebrecht Safaris, which sold trips to Zimbabwe to shoot cheetahs and invited children to participate.
The event also featured taxidermist Gary Tatterton, 58, from West Yorkshire, who specialises in African game head trophies, and Huntershill Safaris, which had a zebra skin on sale for £550. Labour has pledged to make trophy hunting imports illegal, but no timeframe has been set. Arthur Thomas of FOUR PAWS UK said: 'Despite overwhelming public opposition to trophy hunting, these firms continue to profit from the slaughter of endangered species.'
