The photographic exhibition “Still Life, Hunting Trophies” was inaugurated at the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation. This exhibition, which brings together 33 photos by the German photojournalist Britta Jaschinski, aims to raise awareness among the community and authorities regarding a practice that impacts biodiversity.
The activity aims to raise awareness for the treatment of bill 7087-D-2024, which prohibits the import of hunting trophies into Argentina. This initiative was presented by National Deputy María Soledad Carrizo (Córdoba) and is expected to be discussed in Congress committees.
A controversial practice that affects biodiversity
Trophy hunting involves killing wild animals to obtain their bodies or parts and exhibit them as “trophies” of the hunting success. In the stark images captured by Jaschinski, items such as seats made with elephant feet, bear paw slippers, and stuffed lion heads are shown.
“Currently, Argentinian hunters are legally allowed to travel abroad to kill animals and bring trophies like these. It is a cruel injustice that we want to eradicate,” stated Marina Sansostri Ratchford, representative of Humane World for Animals (HWA) in Argentina, to Environmental News.
The trophy hunting trade is legal in many countries but increasingly questioned for its impact on biodiversity. In Argentina, this practice has been intense in recent years. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Argentina was among the top ten countries with the highest level of trophy exports worldwide last decade.
Additionally, it is among the top 20 importing countries of trophies of protected mammal species in the world. The numbers of this contentious trade contrast with the Argentine public opinion, which mostly rejects this practice.
A survey conducted in 2022 by CIO Creative Investigation detected that 92% of Argentinians are in favor of banning trophy hunting. In this study, 91% of respondents also rejected the presence of foreign hunters in Argentine territory and their commercial flow.
The bill proposed by Deputy Carrizo is in line with a global trend to end trophy hunting. Over the last decade, restrictions on this activity have been imposed in countries like Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Finland, France, Malawi, among others.
Locally, in 2022, the former Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development issued resolution 133/2022. This provision prohibits the import, export, and interjurisdictional transit of hunting trophies of native wildlife species.
Hunting trophies in photos
The exhibition “Still Life, Hunting Trophies” will be on display until June 27 at the Anexo A of the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation (Av. Rivadavia 1841, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires).
The exhibition, organized by National Deputy María Soledad Carrizo (Córdoba) and the Culture, Museum, and Federal Extension Directorate, is supported by the organization Humane World for Animals (HWA).
“The spirit of this exhibition seeks to make visible the moral complexity and symbolism hidden behind hunting trophies,” stated Marina Sansostri Ratchford from HWA.
