France bans imports of lion hunting trophies
French minister of ecology, Ségolène Royal, wrote: 'I have instructed my services to no longer issue import permits for lion hunting trophies.'
France has joined Australia in banning the import of lion hunting trophies, making it the first EU member state to bring in such a measure.
In a letter to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, the French minister of ecology, Ségolène Royal, wrote: 'I have instructed my services to no longer issue import permits for lion hunting trophies.'
Brigitte Bardot, a former actress, singer and model, had previously criticised Royal's 'guilty silence' over the import of hunting trophies, particularly in light of the recent death of Cecil the lion.
Announcing the news of France's import ban, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation thanked the minister.
The charity LionAid also welcomed the news, saying in a statement: "We applaud Minister Royal for this timely decision, and hope that this will precipitate like-minded decisions from many other EU Member States."
LionAid has in fact secured a debate in UK parliament on 24 November, when it will urge the UK to reject any further involvement with trophy hunting or 'canned hunting' (where animals are kept in a confined area) of wild lions for sport.
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