The cargo division of Dubai's Emirates airline has become the second international carrier to completely ban the transport of hunting trophies, a.k.a. dead animals like lions, tigers, rhinos, in a move to reduce the trade in endangered or threatened species.
"Emirates SkyCargo has an existing embargo on the carriage of products and parts of endangered animals and plants listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), including hunting trophies,” Emirates SkyCargo said in a statement on its website Friday.
"However, as part of our efforts to prevent the illegal trade of hunting trophies of elephant, rhinoceros, lion and tiger, Emirates SkyCargo, has decided that effective 15th May 2015, we will not accept any kind of hunting trophies of these animals for carriage on Emirates services irrespective of CITES appendix.”
Emirates’ move comes after South Africa Airways became the first carrier to entirely ban trophies last month.
"Hunting of endangered species has become a major problem in Africa and elsewhere with the depletion to near extinction of wildlife that once roamed in prolific numbers. SAA has taken the step of banning all transportation of animals killed in hunting activity as a result," Tim Clyde-Smith of SAA was quoted as saying at the time.
Activitists are pushing more carriers to follow suit in an attempt to end the flow of foreign tourists who go on “ canned safaris ” to kill big game in South Africa.
With Emirates being just the third-largest international cargo carrier, without a complete ban, hunters will find another way to get the trophies home.
Without the ability to bring home their trophies, it is thought that most hunters would not be as willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars if the only evidence of their “manliness” was a selfie with a dead lion. #Sick