Wildlife & Conservation Foundation<\/a> identifies bears, monkeys and elephants as the animals most commonly shot by trophy hunters. Giraffes, lions, hippopotamuses and leopards are also described as highly sought-after targets.It also highlighted the continued killing of black rhinoceroses, despite their critically endangered status. The Jane Goodall Institute reports that only around 3,000 black rhinoceroses remain, while also pointing to the continued targeting of other threatened species.Lions are another major focus of the campaign. According to the Wildlife & Conservation Foundation, about 20,000 lions remain in the wild, while 10,000 lions have been shot since Cecil was killed in 2015. The figure is presented by the campaign as an indication of the scale of trophy hunting involving one of Africa\u2019s best-known species.![\"Which](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/which-animals-remain-targets-under-trophy-hunting.jpg\" "\\"Jane")
<\/p>\nJane Goodall Institute reports that only around 3,000 black rhinoceroses remain. Image Credit: Wildlife and Conservation Foundation<\/p>\n
The campaign grew from the killing of Cecil the lion<\/p>\n
The campaign was launched on 1 July 2026, the 10th anniversary of Cecil the lion being killed by American dentist Walter Palmer. The Wildlife & Conservation Foundation said the anniversary provided a moment to draw attention to the continued scale of trophy hunting.The Jane Goodall Institute said the 2025 event marking Cecil\u2019s death was important in developing the new international coalition. Goodall had been a longstanding supporter of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting and helped prepare the Abolition Declaration with Goncalves.The Jane Goodall Institute also described the campaign as part of Goodall\u2019s continuing legacy. Its report says the declaration brings together people from different backgrounds who are calling for trophy hunting to end rather than being treated as a normal form of wildlife use.<\/p>\n
The trophy trade keeps endangered wildlife in demand<\/p>\n
The campaign is also focused on what happens after an animal has been killed. Wildlife & Conservation Foundation reports that Western governments continue to issue import permits that allow hunters to bring trophies such as horns and tusks across borders.According to the foundation’s website, hunters from just 12 countries account for 90% of the trophy trade, with the United States identified as the largest source. Several European countries are also listed among the leading importers.The Jane Goodall Institute further reports that local communities in some areas have raised concerns about whether they benefit from foreign hunters killing wildlife. It cites Tanzania as an example, where Maasai communities have faced evictions linked to luxury hunting resorts.<\/p>\n
What alternatives are highlighted by conservation groups<\/p>\n
The Jane Goodall Institute points to community-led conservation, ecotourism, habitat restoration and sustainable livelihoods as approaches that can provide economic opportunities while protecting wildlife.Kenya is highlighted as one example. The institute reports that photo safaris contribute around US$1 billion to the Kenyan economy, equivalent to 15% of the country\u2019s GDP. It also notes that Kenya prohibits trophy hunting and has recorded increases in some wildlife populations.Wildlife & Conservation Foundation similarly points to Kenya, Costa Rica and India as countries where trophy hunting is prohibited and where the populations of particular wildlife species have increased.<\/p>\n
Who is backing the global campaign against trophy hunting<\/p>\n
The coalition includes people from entertainment, conservation, politics, religion and Indigenous communities. The PRWeb announcement<\/a> for the Wildlife & Conservation Foundation also names environmental figures David Suzuki, Captain Paul Watson and Philippe Cousteau among its supporters.The Jane Goodall Institute reports that supporters are also challenging the argument that trophy hunting is necessary for conservation. Several conservation scientists quoted by the institute argue that killing threatened animals for trophies can damage already vulnerable populations.The campaign also reports strong public opposition in several regions. According to Ban Trophy Hunting, between 80 and 92% of voters in North America and Europe support a ban, while opposition is reported at between 70 and 84% in Canada and South Africa.With Button now among more than 500 signatories, the campaign is seeking to turn that support into international action. Its stated objective is the abolition of trophy hunting and a greater emphasis on protecting wildlife while it is alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jenson Button. Image Credit: Wikipedia Jenson Button has joined more than 500 people who have signed a global…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[14592,257702,257703,14756,372,8547,90,257701,56,54,55,4407,38974],"class_list":["post-782178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animal-rights","tag-ban-trophy-hunting","tag-cecil-the-lion","tag-endangered-species","tag-formula-1","tag-jenson-button","tag-science","tag-trophy-hunting-campaign","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife","tag-wildlife-protection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"F1](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134463877.jpg\" "\\"Jenson")
Jenson Button. Image Credit: Wikipedia Jenson Button has joined more than 500 people who have signed a global declaration calling for trophy hunting to be abolished. The former Formula 1 champion is among a group of celebrities, conservationists, Indigenous leaders and former political leaders supporting the campaign, which is coordinated by the Wildlife & Conservation Foundation through Ban Trophy Hunting. The campaign highlights the continued killing of wild animals for trophies, including lions, elephants and critically endangered black rhinoceroses, and is calling for governments and the United Nations to take action against the practice.<\/p>\n