Trophy hunting is the killing of wild animals for 'sport'. Animal Rights Africa believe this multi-million pound international industry is causing an irreversible decline in some of the world's most threatened species, and actively campaigns to see this horrendous activity abolished.

Myth: Trophy hunters defend their activities as humane and say they reduce the numbers of uncontrolled wildlife.

Fact: Trophy hunting is nothing more than a violent form of recreation that links into the culture of violence.

It has also contributed to the extinction of animal species all over the world.
Many animals suffer prolonged, painful deaths when they are injured but not killed by hunters. Hunting disrupts migration and hibernation patterns and destroys families. The stress that hunted animals suffer—caused by fear and the inescapable loud noises and other commotion that hunters create—also severely compromises their normal eating habits, making it hard for them to store the fat and energy that they need in order to survive the winter.

The delicate balance of ecosystems ensures their own survival—if they are left unaltered. Natural predators help maintain this balance by killing only the sickest and weakest individuals. Hunters, however, kill any animal that they would like to hang over the fireplace—including large, healthy animals that are needed to keep the population strong. Elephant hunting and poaching is believed to have increased the number of tuskless animals in Africa. In Canada, hunting has caused bighorn sheep’s horn size to fall by 25 percent in the last 40 years. Nature magazine reports that "the effect on the populations’ genetics is probably deeper."