The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) is supporting ‘Cecil’s Week’, a week of events organised by the APPG on Banning Trophy Hunting to mark the 7th anniversary of Cecil the lion killed by an American trophy hunter in Zimbabwe .
As part of ‘Cecil’s Week’ a number of events are taking place in Parliament as part of the campaign to end trophy hunting imports to the UK. Yesterday (Tuesday 28th June) CAWF Co-Founder Lorraine Platt attended the world premiere of ‘Lions, Bones & Bullets’, a new documentary by award-winning producer Richard Peirce which tells the story of the thousands of lions bred in captivity to be shot by hunters, and how their bones are often sold to dealers who turn them into ‘lion wine’ and ‘lion cake’ for wealthy Chinese customers.
This afternoon our Co-Founder also attended a reception to launch a new report: ‘ Trophy Hunting & Britain: The Case for a Ban’. Speakers included the Rt Hon George Eustice MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ; H.E. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President of Botswana (2008-2018); and Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace.
This evening CAWF will attend an exclusive screening of a new documentary, ‘Land of the Free: Out of the Shadows’ by Emmy-nominated Hollywood Director James Ganiere and Australian writer and producer Lynn Santer. The documentary, being screened in Parliament, exposes the tactics used by trophy hunting lobbyists.
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation has long supported the campaign to ban trophy hunting imports to the UK. CAWF Patron Sir Roger Gale MP holds the position of Chair of the APPG on Banning Trophy Hunting, and on 15th June CAWF Patron Henry Smith MP introduced his Private Members Bill to Parliament, the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, to end the import of hunting trophies. The Bill will receive its Second Reading on 25th November.
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “This is an important week as we mark seven years since Cecil the lion was cruelly shot by trophy hunters in Zimbabwe . We cannot truly condemn the actions of trophy hunters abroad who kill some of the most majestic wild animals on our planet for ‘sport’, while we continue to allow hunting trophies to be imported into the UK. We are proud to support our Patron Henry Smith MP’s Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, and join with other NGOs, campaigners, and the APPG for Banning Trophy Hunting this week to urge an end to these vile imports.
“CAWF would also like to thank Patron Sir Roger Gale MP for his tireless work as Chair of the APPG for Banning Trophy Hunting, and Patron Stanley Johnson for his constant campaigning on this important issue. Our Co-founder Lorraine Platt was delighted to meet President Khama, Former President of Botswana who as President banned trophy hunting and over a ten-year period saw an increase in photo-tourism in his country. We would like to thank His Excellency for speaking in the House of Commons to end trophy hunting imports into the UK “
