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Trophy hunters pose for vile souvenir snaps next to the polar bears they have just slaughtered on trips organised purely to ­satisfy their sickening blood lust.

Experts say this shocking animal tourism craze for the rich is on the rise with more than 5,000 of the magnificent ­creatures slayed for sport in ­Canada’s area of the Arctic Circle in recent years.

A haul of 17 polar bear trophies have been legally imported into the UK alone since 1995 as specialist hunting firms target Brits, Americans and the Chinese.

The Mirror is calling for a ban on the cruel industry in a campaign backed by politicians, celebrities and activists.

Eduardo Gonçalves, of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “It is well known polar bears are in serious danger of becoming extinct because of climate change.

“If we want to see them survive, we need to stop the senseless slaughter.

“The ­Government should ban im­­­ports of all hunting trophies right away.”

We found a host of firms offering wealthy hunters a catalogue of majestic creatures to shoot, including lions, ­leopards and elephants.

But the hunts in the Arctic Circle are marketed as “the most memorable” among trophy collectors.

For the hefty-price tag of £36,000 the 12-day hunts camping in the harsh Arctic conditions offer the services of a taxidermist, who turns the specimens into rugs for the hunters’ living rooms.

In return the companies boast of “100 per cent success rates” for the services of a Inuit guide who will help you track down the bears before killing them with arrows, crossbows and rifles.

Nebraska-based Worldwide Trophy Adventures even gives its customers an offer to “return for another 10 days if a polar bear is not taken”.

Its site boasts: “Hunting is carried out on the sea ice in prime areas. Services of an Inuit polar bear guide with a team is provided through the duration of the hunt.

“The hunt ends when a bear is harvested.”

Another firm, Quality Hunts, which has £36,000 trips on offer for spring, says: “Your hide, skull and baculum bone will be shipped frozen by a ­recommended Canadian taxidermist.

“There it will be fleshed, cleaned, properly salted and tanned. Once properly prepared, your hide can be stored for many years.”

A testimonial on its site by hunter Fred Sweisthal, who recently killed a polar bear, reads: “The experience of this hunt is almost beyond words.

“My hunt was successful as I took a nice polar bear.

“I had so much fun that I’m going back in 2020.”

Canada, which has two thirds of the world’s polar bears, sells licences to kill them, despite experts saying their future is “uncertain”.

(Image: BBC)

Inuit communities, alongside those in Alaska and Greenland, are allowed to kill set numbers of bears and walruses because they have done so for food and clothing historically.

But Canadian Inuit are selling the licences for blood sports.

There are 20,000-25,000 polar bears left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. But that number could be cut by two thirds by mid century if the Arctic continues to warm.

In 2008, the US government declared polar bears an endangered species and banned all US hunters from returning from Canada with the trophies. The bears are found in the Arctic across Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Denmark, Norway and Russia.

They are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning they are at high risk of endangerment in the wild.

Norway is the only country that has banned all hunting, with Russia, Alaska and Greenland allowing native communities to hunt the bears for food.

Between 1980 and 1991, 154 trophies were taken. But that figure jumped to 5,001 by 2017.

There has also been a significant increase in the trade of polar bear items to China, especially the sought-after fur.

Hides cost from £4,000 up to £16,000 for the highest quality.

Rugs fetch up to nearly £14,000 on the black market.

Eduardo, from the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “How can anyone justify having a polar bear body in their home as a trophy or for so-called ‘personal use’?

“Sixty-seven different polar bear body parts came into Britain in 2017, so far 61 have been logged for 2018.

“The IUCN Red List assessment in 2015 showed polar bears are facing multiple threats.

“As well as dwindling food resources because of shrinking sea ice, they face threats from oil and gas drilling, toxic waste pollution, new diseases as a result of global warming, and busier shipping lanes.

“The last thing they need is for trophy hunters to go around shooting them for fun just so they can pose for a selfie and have a bear’s head over their fireplace.

“There are 25,000 polar bears left. Yet CITES – the ­international convention meant to protect vulnerable wildlife – allows trophy hunters to shoot some of the world’s most endangered animals. This is scandalous.

“Government officials are meeting in Geneva next month to discuss the future of CITES. They should close this crazy loophole immediately.”

Dr Teresa Telecky, of the Humane Society International, said: “Polar bears are being pushed to the brink of extinction by climate change.

“Without ice, they are forced onto land where they are easy targets for trophy hunters.

“Canada is cashing in on this crisis. If it won’t act to save this species, other countries must.”

Quality Hunts and World Wide Trophy Adventures did not respond to our offer to comment on the hunts.