Paul McCartney, Ricky Gervais and Priscilla Presley Back Global Trophy Hunting Ban

Singer Paul McCartney, actor Ricky Gervais and Priscilla Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, are among roughly 500 signatories calling for a ban on hunting animals for trophies. The campaign is urging UN Secretary-General António Guterres to promote the start of negotiations on a global convention on the issue.

Jane Goodall’s campaign against trophy hunting

Developed with primatologist Jane Goodall shortly before her death last year, the campaign for a “Declaration for the Abolition of Hunting Trophies” is due to launch on Wednesday. It will call on Guterres to “begin negotiations for a global convention”.

The petition also asks the UN General Assembly to pass a resolution supporting the declaration.

Goodall, who died aged 91 on 1 October 2025, drafted the text with Portuguese-British activist Eduardo Gonçalves, founder of the UK campaign Ban Trophy Hunting.

“Jane Goodall’s wish was for the hunting of animals as trophies to be abolished, so this campaign is intended, to a large extent, to be launched in her memory and to continue her legacy,” Gonçalves said at a press conference.

The campaign has the backing of around 500 signatories, including public figures, experts and organisations. Other well-known supporters include the Dalai Lama, model Kate Moss, musicians Liam Gallagher and Annie Lennox, and actors Michael Palin, Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan.

Animals targeted by trophy hunters

Gonçalves said that around 32,000 trophies from animals covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were traded in 2024.

Bears are the animals most frequently hunted for trophies, particularly black bears, which are killed mainly in Canada, the world’s largest exporter of hunting trophies.

“Canada also allows polar bears to be hunted for sport and is the only country to do so, as both the US and Russia banned polar bear hunting in their territories long ago,” the activist said.

Monkeys are the second most hunted animals for trophies, excluding gorillas and chimpanzees, which are protected.

African elephants rank third among the animals most sought after by trophy hunters, but are the most threatened by the practice. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies them as “endangered” or “critically endangered”.

Gonçalves said the main offenders were North Americans and Europeans.

“Trophy hunting is simply cruel, archaic,” he said, arguing that there are “viable alternative forms of wildlife tourism, such as photographic safaris, which are far more effective at supporting conservation and generating revenue for it, while also creating jobs and prosperity in often disadvantaged rural communities”.