On November 24, Born Free submitted a comment to the U.S. Department of the Interior, voicing concerns about the establishment of the pro-trophy hunting International Wildlife Conservation Council. We argued that the Council is non-essential, that its mission is not in the public interest, and that it does not provide a balanced perspective on trophy hunting. We feared that Council would be made up of active hunters, as well as representatives from the firearms industry, hunting sports industry, and international hunting outfitter industries.
The list of Council members has been released, and we’re disappointed to say that all of our suspicions were confirmed; it reads as a who’s-who of hunting interests.
Prashant Khetan, Born Free USA CEO and General Counsel says: “Between the formation of this Council and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s memorandum that it will consider trophy import permits on a case-by-case basis, it’s clear that this administration is pushing a pro-hunting agenda.”