Import of trophies into Finland restricted – Parts of the most endangered animals no longer allowed as souvenirs

BULLETIN 5 JANUARY 2023

The import of hunting souvenirs, or trophies, into Finland is being restricted. The new Nature Conservation Act will include a provision that prohibits the import of individual animals or their parts from the most endangered species worldwide which are threatened by international trade as trophies from countries outside the EU.

People from Finland also travel for hunting trips, especially to Africa, the purpose of which is to kill wild animals for the trophies that can be obtained from them. The Finnish Trophy Free EU group has been lobbying for a trophy ban for a long time.

“Trophy hunting is one of the most unethical forms of hunting and cannot be justified in any way. That is why this new legislation is necessary and welcome. It has also been well received abroad. This is a good note on which to move forward towards a complete ban on the import of trophies. According to a report, more than 80 per cent of EU citizens oppose trophy hunting. That gives me hope”, rejoices Birgitta Wahlberg, long-time activist and chair of the Trophy Free EU working group.

Trophy Free EU is a joint working group of SEY Animal Welfare Finland and the Turku Animal Welfare Association established in 2014. The purpose of the group is to increase awareness of the drawbacks of hunting trophies and to push for a ban on the import of trophies into Finland and other EU countries.

More information:

In addition to the animal species listed in Appendix A of the CITES regulation, the ban applies to the following species (individual animals or their parts) listed in Appendix B: African elephant, argali, white rhinoceros, polar bear, lion and hippopotamus. The new act enters into force on 1 June 2023.  

Report on the attitudes of EU citizens towards trophy hunting: https://www.hsi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/eu-trophy-hunting-poll.pdf

Contacts:

Riina Itkonen
Vice Chair
Trophy Free EU working group
riina.itkonen@sey.fi
tel. +358 45 7885 0173

Annukka Seppävuori
Communications Specialist
SEY Animal Welfare Finland
annukka.seppavuori@sey.fi
tel. +358 40 830 1716