Story: Belgium bans imports of hunting trophies such as lion claw corkscrews and ashtrays made from elephant paws…
Activists hope the move will encourage other European countries to take similar action.
In late January, Belgium’s parliament passed a resolution banning the import of various rare and endangered animals.
The list includes lions, tigers, and elephants, as well as orangutans, lemurs, and various turtles.
Belgian Environment Minister Zakia Hattavi.
“At this stage, the impact will be limited. This is more symbolic. We know that today, on a European scale, few countries have as ambitious a ban as Belgium, so this is a political signal being sent. The Netherlands has a ban. “Finland is the same, France is working on it. But at the moment we are not only looking at the Belgian numbers, but also probably from other member states. I think the impact will be relatively limited because it will be licensed.”
The ban was welcomed by Ruud Tombrock, executive director of the International Humanitarian Association.
“…very satisfied with the unanimous vote of the Belgian Parliament…”
He said 25,000 animal trophies were imported into the European Union between 2014 and 2022, of which around 500 were sent to Belgium.
The European Parliament in 2022 called for a ban on imports of trophies derived from species listed in CITES, an international agreement aimed at ensuring that the trade in wild animals does not threaten the survival of wild animals.
Under EU law, trophies from endangered and rare species require an import permit, and a wider range of wildlife trophies should also be inspected.