*UPDATE: The Government have rejected the hunting component in the recent proposal. Read more here. Thank you to all who have signed so far and feel free to sign the petition to show your ongoing support*

Malawi has gained an international reputation for making great strides in conservation in recent years. This included strengthening the Wildlife Act to essentially prohibit recreational trophy hunting. However, there has been some recent debate on the introduction of trophy hunting inside Malawi’s protected areas. We urge the Government of Malawi to stand firm in its resolve to reject hunting as proposals are put forward, – thus upholding the law – and continue to build on its other more progressive conservation initiatives.

We strongly oppose trophy hunting in Malawi in all forms because:

The law passed in 2017, which prohibits recreational/professional hunting of protected species, should be upheld.

Allowing foreign nationals to hunt for sport or pleasure is likely to confuse communities living around protected areas who themselves can be imprisoned for up to 30 years if they illegally kill wild animals.

The export of ‘trophies’ is currently illegal and, if legalised, quotas could be abused and used as cover for illegal activity, thus undermining the progress made to combat wildlife crime.

Any introduction of trophy hunting would taint Malawi’s reputation as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’, also an emerging wildlife tourist destination.

Interested in reading more about trophy hunting? Here are some resources.