WILD LIFE WATCH

Exclusive: Hard Numbers Reveal Scale of America’s Trophy-Hunting Habit

This week sport hunters placed bids on at least 600 permits at Safari Club International’s annual convention, or, as it’s also called, “the ultimate hunter’s market.” The auction drew sharp criticism, but those 600 permits are only a sliver of American hunters’ involvement in the sport hunting industry.

Sport hunters, those who kill animals for recreation rather than out of necessity, imported more than 1.26 million trophies to the U.S. in the decade from 2005 through 2014, according to a new analysis of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s import data by Humane Society International and the Humane Society of United States. That’s an average of 126,000 trophy imports a year, or 345 a day.

“What we hope the report accomplishes is that we shed light on the scale of the role we play in killing some of the world’s vulnerable and endangered species,” said Marsha Kalinina, an international trade policy specialist at Humane Society International.

Sport hunters say their activities support conservation by boosting local economies and providing incentives for the preservation of land and wildlife for high-paying hunters.

Conservationists, animal welfare advocates, and many scientists, however, say sport hunting puts pressure on vulnerable populations,disrupts social networks, and doesn’t pump up local economies as much as hunters argue. Many also argue that destroying wildlife for pleasure is unethical.

It may surprise some that the biggest source of trophy imports is Canada. But it’s close and easy to get to for Americans, and it offers iconic North American species such as black bears, grizzly bears, moose, and wolves.

For similar reasons, Mexico is also a big destination for sport hunters. Its hunting industry is valued at about $200 million, according to the Humane Society, with nearly 4,000 hunting ranches in operation.

“Mexico really incentives U.S. hunters to come over,” Alkalinity said. “The affordability of that type of hunt is really what appeals to U.S. hunters.”