By Hayley O’Keeffe
Ricky Gervais has blasted vile hunters who are killing thousands of threatened brown fur seals so their penises can be sold as “aphrodisiacs” in China.
The scandal has been uncovered by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, who exposed a grotesque trade involving more than 8,400 individual brown fur seal penises – along with another 15 tons of genitalia – mostly destined for the dark corners of China’s so-called “traditional medicine” market.
The trade exploits laws designed to ban wildlife trade but which grant an exemption if it is claimed they are ‘hunting trophies’.
Ricky Gervais is furious about the chilling practice, and the comedian and animal lover blasted hunters who are killing innocent creatures for nothing more than their reproductive organs.
He said: “I am shocked to learn that thousands of seals are killed each year just so their penises can be sold in China!
“This is sickening, and we need to ban these trophy hunting imports now!”
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The fur seals, which live off the coast of Southern Africa, are classified as threatened by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
But there’s a loophole: trophy hunting is exempt from certain restrictions, leaving these seals vulnerable to the cruel practice.
The seals are being killed for their genitals, which are thought to be an aphrodisiac and even claimed to improve skin.
In Beijing, a single brown fur seal penis can fetch up to $400 in restaurants like the infamous Guolizhuang – a restaurant notorious for serving up dishes made from the penises and testicles of various animals, including deer, snakes, horses, and seals.
But this isn’t just about a few wealthy diners. Investigators have tracked shipments of other “hunting trophies” of endangered species that have made their way into Hong Kong and mainland China; all thanks to the lax enforcement of CITES regulations. Wildlife traffickers are exploiting the system, smuggling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exotic animal parts, including rhino horns and bear gallbladders.
In 2024, Namibia approved the slaughter of 70,000 brown fur seal pups and 10,000 adult males. Namibia is now the last country in the Southern Hemisphere where seal hunting is still legal, with trophy hunting booming in this part of the world.
The shocking trade is allegedly controlled by Hou Xuecheng, a Chinese businessman with links to organised crime. He has been arrested multiple times for alleged wildlife trafficking. But that hasn’t stopped the sickening trade, with consignments of seal genitals also making their way to South Korea, Japan, and even the United Arab Emirates.
Eduardo Goncalves of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting blasted the hunting industry for continuing to slaughter innocent animals. “People will be horrified to learn that thousands of seals are killed every year for these grotesque ‘delicacies’ and ‘trophies,’” he said.
“It’s like nothing was learned from the killing of Cecil the lion. These barbaric practices must stop.”
To find out more about the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting go to www.bantrophyhunting.org