In trophy hunting, the goal is to preserve the hunted wild animal or parts of it and display it as a trophy. In general, the rarer the species and the larger the horns, manes or tusks, the more desirable an animal is as a trophy. Trophy hunting of animals covered by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is highly problematic from both a species protection and an animal welfare perspective. Nevertheless, it is offered in many places as an attraction for hunting tourists. Swiss people too travel to distant countries to engage in trophy hunting, shoot exotic animals and then import the trophies into Switzerland.

After the motion for a ban on the import and transit of hunting trophies originating from animals protected under CITES, submitted by the former National Councilor Isabelle Chevalley (GLP/VD) in March 2019, was accepted by the National Council, it is now up to the Council of States to decide on the motion. The recommendation of the Science, Education and Culture Committee of the Council of States (SECC-CS) on the acceptance or rejection of the motion expected in early February, but due to time constraints the deliberations were postponed to the next commission meeting. The outcome of the deliberations in the SECC-CS ought to be announced by the beginning of May at the latest.

In support of the proposal, TIR drafted an open letter late last year intended for submission to the Council of States in the run-up to the vote. 912 signatures have been collected so far. We were also able to win the support of 50 animal welfare organizations in Switzerland and abroad in favor of the motion. Owing to the delay of the matter in parliament, we now have more time to reach supporters for the open letter, which should help us get our voice heard by the Council of States.

Our latest flyer contains the most important facts and problems related to trophy hunting. Among other things, it refutes the argument often put forward by proponents of the sport that the income from trophy hunting is used for species protection projects or for the benefit of local communities. In reality, however, the profits mainlygo to foreign operators of hunting safaris or corrupt state employees. For these and other reasons, TIR hopes that the motion will be adopted. We thank you for your support!