Elephant feet, polar bear skins and a rug made from a slaughtered lion are among the endangered species parts shipped into Britain as trophies in a single year, the Telegraph can reveal.

A total of 86 rare animal body parts, many from creatures threatened with extinction, have been imported into Britain during the financial year 2017-18.

Analysis of the macabre catalogue held by the international body controlling such shipments reveals how a thriving trophy hunter industry exists with huntsmen eager to celebrate their kills with garish mementos.

Under international rules such trophies can be brought into the UK only if they do no affect the survival of any species.

The details of the imports come as The Telegraph reveals that a prolific big game huntsman is a British pensioner who has earned numerous hunting awards after killing some of the so-called ‘Big Five’ - lions, leopards, elephants, rhino and bison.