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Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh pressure to ban "sick" trophy hunting imports after it emerged that giraffes are the most popular among British hunters. New research has found that hunters from the UK brought back 118 body parts from giraffes they had killed abroad, including bones and feet, between 2020 and 2024.

National treasure Dame Joanna Lumley said the Government "should hang its head in shame", while comedian Ricky Gervais branded it "a crime against nature". Labour pledged to ban trophy hunting imports in its 2024 manifesto but the promise is yet to be delivered.

Dame Joanna said: "It is heartbreaking and frankly shameful that, in this day and age, magnificent creatures such as giraffes are still being gunned down just so their heads, bodies and skins can be displayed as triumphant trophies. These animals belong in the wild, not in someone's sitting room.

"Giraffes are such extraordinary, elegant animals who harm no one and have a right to live in safety, just as humans do. They are also increasingly endangered.

"The Government should hang its head in shame for allowing this cruel and outdated practice to continue."

Gervais added: "The idea that giraffes are being shot for fun and then turned into ornaments to put on display is just horrific. I've no words. Giraffes are such magnificent and elegant animals.

"Trophy hunters call killing giraffes a 'sport'. Shooting these inoffensive, gentle giants isn't sport - it's a crime against nature. It's the act of a coward and a moron.

"To learn that British companies are selling giraffe-shooting 'experiences' makes me sick to the stomach."

Black bears were the second most popular among British hunters with 96 souvenirs brought back between 2020 and 2024 - the latest year data is available - including whole bodies, claws, skins and skulls.

Meanwhile, lions were third with 78 trophies imported to the UK, according to the research by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting.

The group's founder Eduardo Goncalves said: "It's nearly two years since Keir Starmer promised to ban hunting trophies. Yet his government is still allowing sick trophy hunters to bring home body parts of giraffes.

"The Prime Minister can't blame civil servants for this - they've drafted the legislation for the government. The bill is sat there waiting for ministers to get on with it.

"The public want trophy hunting banned. A ban has the support of opposition parties including the Conservatives. What on earth is No 10 waiting for?"

British hunters pay thousands of pounds to legally shoot animals abroad before bringing grisly souvenirs from their kills home with them.

A YouGov poll in 2024 found that an overwhelming 92% of Britons say trophy hunting is unacceptable, with just 4% saying it was acceptable.

The findings of the research sparked condemnation from other celebrities.

Presenter Chris Tarrant said: "To think that people are still flying out, shooting them, and bringing bits back as trophies in this day and age is deeply depressing.

"It feels completely out of step with where public opinion is now, and frankly, the government should know better."

Actor Brian Blessed said: "What madness is this? To slaughter giraffes, the titans of the natural world, for the sake of grotesque trinkets is nothing short of barbarism.

"Giraffes are not trophies, they are marvels. We should be protecting them with every fibre of our being, not allowing their magnificent forms to be butchered and boxed up like souvenirs. It's an outrage, a disgrace, and it must end."

Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes added: "It's obscene, it's cruel, and frankly it's just pathetic.

"These beautiful animals are not decorations for someone's living room. Anyone who supports this should be utterly ashamed of themselves, it makes me furious."

Supporters of trophy hunting argue that it helps conservation.

But giraffe expert Professor Fred Bercovitch warned that trophy hunting was endangering the survival of the species.

He said: "Giraffes are threatened with extinction. The hunting industry's justification of killing an endangered species in order to save that same species is illogical.

"Trophy hunting remains a colonial vestige favouring white people."

There are less than 117,000 giraffes left in the wild, down from 150,000 in the 1980s, according to non-profit organisation Save Giraffes Now.

It comes after a previous bid to ban trophy hunting imports was derailed by a small number of peers in the House of Lords in 2023.

A Defra spokesperson said: "We have a strong track record of delivering for animal welfare and we remain firmly committed to introducing a ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern.

"We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows."