A male lion in the wild sits in long grass

Cecil the lion – let’s never let this happen again 

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Five years ago today Cecil the lion was tragically shot with a crossbow by a trophy hunter. He was found wounded hours later, where he was then finally killed. 

Trophy hunting is one of the cruellest forms of wildlife abuse and can often cause prolonged suffering for the hunted animals and leave juvenile animals alone, unable to survive.

An animal should never have to suffer for a so-called bloodsport most people would be horrified by.

As well as causing immense individual animal suffering, the trophy hunting industry is wracked by corruption, the ecology in hunting areas in many countries is collapsing, and the bulk of the money generated never reaches local communities or conservation projects.

A still from our 2019 film raising awareness of animal cruelty

Image: a still from our 2019 film raising awareness of animal cruelty. This is a computer-generated artwork, no animals were harmed. The hunters are actors.

Links to traditional Asian medicine

As well as the trophies, big cats are also valuable for their bones, blood and other body parts which are exported to be used in traditional Asian medicine products.

These products include wines, capsules, gels and balms believed to cure ailments ranging from arthritis to meningitis.

How to end this cruelty

You can help end this cruelty by signing the petition here calling on the Australian government to secure a global wildlife trade ban and end the import and export of wild animals.

Trophy hunting is cruel and unnecessary

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