Every year, tens of thousands of wild animals around the world are killed by trophy hunters, primarily to obtain body parts as trophies, including full-body mounts, tusks, horns and skins. The rarer the species, the higher the price hunters may be willing to pay to kill them.

Trophy hunters even target endangered and strictly protected species, including elephants and rhinos. In defence of this controversial practice, the hunting lobby promotes a number of claims about its purported conservation and economic benefits. However, many of these claims do not stand up to scientific scrutiny.

Conservation and animal welfare organisations have challenged these claims with evidence and facts. This report debunks 14 common myths about trophy hunting and examines the evidence behind the arguments used to justify it.

Read the full report here: https://www.conservationaction.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Myths-debunking-paper_update_September-2026.pdf