What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A ban on the import of sick souvenirs from trophy hunting is being urgently considered by ministers.

It is a victory for our campaign against the bloodsport, started after US dentist Walter Palmer shot Cecil the lion in 2015.

Animal welfare minister Zac Goldsmith said: “I look at the photos and it turns my stomach.”

The Mirror’s images of trophy hunters posing with their quarry have sparked fury since we launched our ­campaign against the sick bloodsport.

And in a bid to protect majestic beasts such as elephants, lions and other endangered wildlife, the Government has announced it will discuss a ban on people bringing home the spoils of their slaughter.

Mr ­Goldsmith revealed there will be an urgent consultation on ­stopping the imports of trophy hunt parts.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

He also praised the Mirror for leading the fight against the horrific slaughter since 2015 when Cecil the lion was shot by ­American dentist Walter Palmer.

Mr Goldsmith said: “Well done to you. Thank you to the Mirror for the campaign. It’s very good that we have now got to the point where we are going to do a ­consultation on a ban.

“That, I know, is going to be widely welcomed because such vast numbers of people do care about this, particularly when you see Cecil the lion-type horror stories or celebrity hunter Melissa Bannerman smirking and gloating over the body of a dead giraffe.

“I look at those photos and it turns my stomach. I will never be able to understand on any level why anybody would pay money to shoot a giraffe. It’s an ­extraordinary thing to want to do, particularly given we are in the midst of an extinction crisis.

“It’s not going to save the world or save all these endangered species but I think ­symbolically it’s important that we pursue all options.”

There are around

1.7 million hunting trophies crossing borders every year, the majority going to the US.

Almost 20,000 pieces have been imported to the UK over the past decade, a more than 10-fold increase on the previous 10 years.

Those who defend the hunts claim killing animals benefits ­wildlife as fees from the slaughter are ploughed into conservation.

But a recent UN report warned the world is in danger of losing a million endangered species over the next few years.

Mr Goldsmith added: “It’s not a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of fact. If that’s not a crisis, I don’t know what is.

“The idea that our ­contribution to conservation would be to go out and shoot a giraffe seems to me to be pretty extraordinary.” Since the Cecil the lion scandal, the Mirror has run a string of exposés on trophy hunting.

Wealthy businessman Malcolm King was found be one of the most prolific, believed to have killed hundreds of animals.

In July we revealed how sick ­Canadian couple Darren and Carolyn Carter celebrated by posing for a kiss after killing a magnificent lion.

And we reported on a former British gamekeeper flogging sickening trips from his office in Glastonbury, Somerset – thought to be the last UK trophy hunting firm in operation.

And there was our heartbreaking story this month on bloodthirsty Brits shooting monkeys in budget kills, as numbers of the creatures plummet.

The Mirror called for a ban on all imports into the UK of heads, furs and parts of animals shot for pleasure.

Parts of endangered animals cannot be traded, imported or exported under strict international controls. But trophy hunters’ kills are exempt.

We want this ­loophole closed. We also called to end canned hunting, where animals are kept in an enclosed area to make them easier for paying hunters to shoot.

Our campaign has won the support of politicians, conservationists and celebrities. In August, Boris Johnson ’s girlfriend Carrie Symonds, a friend of Mr Goldsmith, got behind us.

The oceans campaigner is believed to have urged the PM to prioritise environmental issues.

At the United Nations summit last week he announced a £220million fund to tackle the erosion of ­biodiversity, focusing on desperately endangered species such as the black rhino and Sumatran tiger.

Mr Goldsmith said: “Carrie I’ve known as a constituent.

“She has a passion for ­conservation and nature. She is obviously very, very big on animal welfare.”