Trophy hunting often targets animals like this mountain lion

Lisa Dearing / Alamy Stock Photo

Trophy hunting

Thrill-seekers kill vital wildlife for trophies, display, photos, bragging rights and prizes, and pay big money to kill rare, often endangered, animals abroad and take home their body parts.

Did you know?

Supporters claim trophy hunting helps communities and wildlife by putting money in local people’s hands and culling weak or old animals. But in reality, very little money — as little as 3% of trophy hunting revenue — reaches the areas where hunting happens, and trophy hunters often seek the biggest, strongest animals to kill.

*Species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are currently threatened by overexploitation through trade or may become so if trade isn’t regulated.

Inside the problem

Trophy hunters kill for bragging rights and animal parts. In importing countries, banning or restricting the transport and trade of foreign hunting trophies from species threatened by trade takes away these motivations. In the U.S. and other hunting destination countries, state and federal laws and regulations can reduce or stop the trophy hunting of native carnivores.

Wild gray wolf standing in the snow.

Glenn Nagel/Alamy Stock Photo

Legal challenges

We petition governments to protect vulnerable animals under national laws from harmful international trade. In the U.S., we litigate to protect species listed under the Endangered Species Act, like gray wolves and grizzly bears.

Mother bear with cub taxidermy for sate at Circle M's fall auction

The HSUS

Airline bans

We collaborate with airlines to prohibit the transport of hunting trophies. The top five of the world’s largest airline groups have banned the transport of certain or all hunting trophies on their carriers, and travel companies, such as Booking.com and Expedia, have banned the sale or promotion of trophy hunts on their sites.

lynx taxidermy trophy on display at Safari Club International's annual convention in Reno, Nevada

N/A/The HSUS

Government action

We support and win bans around the world on the import of hunting trophies from imperiled species, and work at the U.S. state and federal level to reduce and end the trophy hunting of native carnivores. 

Trophy hunter standing with rifle over body of dead wild giraffe

Stuart Abraham/Alamy Stock photo

Public awareness

We campaign globally against trophy hunting of vital and imperiled species and the international trade in hunting trophies. This work reminds people that trophy hunting is still happening and contributing to wildlife population decline. 

David Keith Jones/

Animals are not trophies

In the U.S. alone, trophy hunters kill more than 100,000 native carnivores every year. Take action to stop this cruel and unnecessary practice.

The Impact of Trophy Hunting on Endangered Species

"The killing of animals for trophies and trinkets threatens not only the survival of threatened and endangered species, but the populations of iconic species overall and it demands the strongest possible deterrence." —Jennifer Hillman, vice president, wildlife protection

Take Action

No animal deserves to be killed for bragging rights. Take action to stop these cruel operations.

Petitions
Wolf head and skins at Dallas Safari Club Convention 2020
UK: Ask your MP to ensure a UK ban on trophy hunting is prioritised

Urge them to honour their commitment to banning imports of hunting trophies to the UK by introducing a government bill as soon as possible

Ask the UK government to ban the import of hunting trophies

A trophy import ban would create a major disincentive for British trophy hunters to travel abroad to kill animals

Urge the European Union to stop importing hunting trophies

Nearly 15,000 hunting trophies of species at risk like elephants, lions, giraffes, polar bears and black rhinos were imported into the EU between 2014 and 2018. 

Cecil and his cubs
Sign the pledge to end trophy hunting

Every year, hundreds of thousands of wild animals are killed solely to obtain "trophies"—heads, hides or pelts and even whole animals—to stuff, skin and hang on a wall.

Give them a better life

Our Animal Rescue Team rescued nearly 70 dogs and puppies from a dog meat farm in South Korea last week. Donate to help with the urgent care of these rescued dog meat survivors and to help other animals still suffering across the globe.

Jean Chung/For Humane World for Animals