Trophy hunting holidays to slaughter elephants, lions and leopards on sale at UK fair

Sickening to shoot , giraffes, leopards, lions and zebras in Africa were on sale at a UK hunting show.

Over 250 exhibitors flocked to this two-day event called The Stalking Show at Staffordshire County Show “created by hunters, for hunters” which says it is “bringing people of all ages with similar interests together.” Amongst the stalls of guns, game butchery, taxidermy services and pest control, were firms offering hunting holidays. Bloodthirsty safaris were being sold by the Real Big 5 which calls itself, “The UK’s 1st worldwide hunting agent” and “The Chateau Lafitte of hunting.” Leaflets handed out at the show in Stafford at the weekend boasted how it is “helping hunters from around the globe bring the planet’s toughest trophies to heel.”

Among the trips The Real Big 5 was flogging was a £2,500 “stalking show special” to hunt a blue wildebeest, zebra, bluebuck (blue antelope) and impala during a five day all inclusive stay in South Africa. Warthogs, jackals and baboons were being advertised as free to slaughter.

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When asked if it would be possible to turn the zebra into something, a representative replied: ”100%. Field preparation is included in the price.” He added: “The Trophy hunting import ban was big on the agenda last year but I think possibly / has taken the attention off it. And now the tariffs situation. They seem to have stopped caring about it.”

Director of The Real Big 5 is 45-year-old Henry Skeffington from King's Lynn, Norfolk, who has run the firm since September, 2012. On Companies House he lists his occupation as “hunting agent.” On his page, he posted “International hunters visiting South Africa is what gives animals their value…but unfortunately those against hunting choose to remain ignorant to the fact that hunting is conservation."

Notorious trophy hunting firm Englebrecht Safaris, who has 24 entries in the Safari Club International record book including a lion bred for the bullet, an elephant and white lion, was selling trips last weekend from a table draped in a zebra skin, including a sickening trip to Zimbabwe. The firm boasts: “The areas we hunt in boast a healthy population of lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo, as well as numerous game species.” Packages include a 21 day trip to kill a Lion, leopard and buffalo for $67,200. A trip to slaughter an elephant and leopard costs $37,000.

The is lobbying the government to stop the importation of animal trophies into the UK alongside organisation the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. Founder Eduardo Goncalves said: “The trophy hunting industry is laughing in the face of the government’s failure to act against this cruel, archaic industry.

"British trophy hunting companies are openly selling sick hunting 'package holidays’ at UK fairs. Foreign-owned companies are recruiting UK salesmen to flog trips to British hunters. The number of animals being killed by British trophy hunters is going up. This is all happening because they see the Government sitting on its hands and know they can get away with murder - literally.”

On the stall for Sable Rock Safaris was a woman handing out leaflets which boasted “immerse yourself in a truly authentic hunting experience, set on one of South Africa’s oldest game reserves. Book now to take advantage of our affordable trophy hunting packages.” Here giraffes can be shot for a fee of £3,850, Zebras between £770 - £2,150, while baboons are just £385. Its website says: “Perhaps most comforting, other than our competitive pricing, is that we are a UK owned and operated reserve.”

The Huntershill Safaris stall was adorned with animal trophies including a baboon above the entrance and a zebra skin draped over a table - on sale for £800 and a caracal skin on another. Packages were being flogged included a five day hunt of nine animals where baboons, jackals and caracals were thrown in for free. A UK representative, who said he had shot a lot of zebras, explained how the trips were suitable for beginners and pointed to two Brits who had just signed up for a repeat trip. He said that even if you have never hunted, “you’ll change your mind after a trip to Africa.”

Stormberg Safaris was another notorious firm exhibiting at the fair with 185 entries in the SCI record book including one of the biggest elephants killed with a bow and arrow. It offers trips to slaughter a variety of animals including lions and leopards. A lion breeding programme is run on the same site with over 40 animals.

Trophies, such as skins and stuffed body parts like animal heads, from 39 animals, including lions, elephants, a brown bear, a leopard, a hippo and a cheetah, were shipped to the UK in 2023. The number of lions imported leapt from two in 2022 to 28 in 2023, making the species the most targeted choice for UK hunters who crave a gruesome souvenir and bragging rights. Imports in 2023 also include trophies from five African elephants.

FOUR PAWS UK Policy Advisor Arthur Thomas said: “It is disgusting that a show celebrating hunting and offering hunting experiences to kill leopards, lions, bears and even elephants has taken place in Britain in 2025. As we approach the tenth anniversary of the death of Cecil the lion, the UK Government must finally make good on years of promises to ban the import of hunting trophies and end our involvement in the barbaric and outdated practice. The ongoing existence of The Stalking Show and its promotion of trophy hunting operators signals this problem is not going away.”

Eduardo Goncalves added: “Labour promised in its manifesto that it would ban these sick souvenirs. Now it refuses to say what its timetable is. Meanwhile, Defra is quietly handing out permits to British hunters so they can bring the bodies of endangered cheetahs back to the UK.

“It’s time the government listened to the British public. Nine out of ten voters want trophy hunting banned immediately. This year is the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil. Defra has been promising to ban trophies since 2015. It’s time to get on with it.”

The organisers of the Stalking Show did not respond.

A Defra spokesperson said: "The Government was elected on mandate to ban the import of hunting trophies - that is exactly what we will do.”