Joanna Lumley wants support in giraffe hunting campaign.
Animal lovers in Milton Keynes are being urged to join TV star Dame Joanna Lumley in backing a new campaign to protect giraffes from the horrors of trophy hunting.
The Absolutely Fabulous actor has designed a striking new T-shirt featuring her own hand-drawn image of a giraffe, which is being sold in aid of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting.
And campaign organisers would like residents from MK and surrounding towns and villages to join in the fight for a ban on the import of animal trophies into the UK.
The campaign launch coincides with rising fears over the future of giraffes – the world’s tallest mammals – and comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the Lion, whose death shocked the world and exposed the brutal reality of the trophy hunting industry.
“I’ve designed a T-shirt for the wonderful people at the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting who are working so hard to get this terrible practice outlawed,” said Joanna Lumley.
“I hope you like the design, it comes straight from the heart, and proceeds go directly to support their amazing work. Let’s remind the politicians of these beautiful animals and that we must protect them, not persecute them.”
“Joanna has been an unwavering champion for animals, and we are so grateful to her for lending her voice and her talent to this campaign,” said campaign founder Eduardo Goncalves.
“With Cecil's anniversary next week this is the perfect time to highlight the terrible toll trophy hunting continues to take, not only on giraffes, but on many threatened species.
“I urge everyone in Milton Keynes who cares about animals to help us finish what we started. Write to your MP and ask them to back the ban – or show your support by wearing Joanna’s powerful new design.”
Trophy hunters took home nearly 1,800 giraffe trophies in 2023 alone, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). These included body parts such as skins, bones, skulls, feet, and tails. Some of the giraffes shot had been bred in captivity specifically for the trophy hunting industry.
The campaign T-shirt is available to order now from www.bantrophyhunting.org.
