This week, trophy hunters, hunting outfitters, and other businesses from around the world will gather online to buy, sell, and auction the opportunity to kill iconic animals, such as elephants and polar bears, during the 2021 Dallas Safari Club annual convention. Among the exhibitors are 351 outfitters that together offer hunting packages to kill at least 319 species in 70 countries, including critically endangered black rhinos, cheetahs, brown bears, and kangaroos. The 185 donated items for auction include hunts for elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffalos, and crocodiles, which are expected to generate $3.5 million in revenue for the Dallas Safari Club. Some of the auctioned items are for canned hunts in the United States for species that include elk, exotic sheep, antelope, and deer who live inside a fenced-in area. Among the most expensive hunts for auction are a $70,000 hunt for desert bighorn sheep in Mexico and a 10-day hunt for a brown bear in Alaska for $52,850.

Selling wildlife body part and products

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International recently released an analysis of the event, which shows that the 849 exhibitors registered to participate will also sell wildlife body parts and products such as taxidermies, knives made from giraffe bones, furniture made from ostrich skin, boots and belts made from shark skin and elephant leather, and other home décor and fashion accessories made from animals.

“A pandemic is not slowing down the vile trophy hunting industry and the shameless conventions that celebrate the violent, needless slaughter of wild animals,” HSUS President and CEO Kitty Block said. “As millions of people struggle to survive the pandemic, trophy hunters spend millions of dollars on grim globe-trotting trips to shoot beloved, iconic animals for bragging rights and collections of heads to hang on the wall.”

Members of the public who are opposed to trophy hunting of wildlife can sign the pledge.

This post was originally published on VegNews.com.