Dame Judi Dench's impassioned plea on trophy hunting after Sheffield MPs show their support for a ban on imports

The passionate appeal comes after South African campaigner Melanie Verwoerd, travelled to Parliament and met with Sheffield MPs Clive Betts, Abitsam Mohamed and Ruth Jones, who all showed their support for the ban and were thanked by the charity.

In a video message released this week by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, Judi Dench passionately appeals for the promised change to the law, which will stop trophy hunters bringing their sick kills back to the UK.

Every week UK trophy hunters are legally allowed to bring the animals they have killed back to this country to display in their homes, and the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting is calling on the Labour government to honour its manifesto commitment to end the import of animal trophies.

Endangered animals such as polar bears, cheetahs and rhinos are being killed by callous Brits, who live in ordinary residential areas around the UK.

While unable to stop the slaughter in other countries, a UK government ban on imports would stop a major part of the demand for the trophy hunting industry, which is mainly funded by western tourists.

Dame Judi Dench, said: "I have never understood people who want to hunt and kill wild animals. I've never understood the satisfaction people get from seeing a wild animal dead and they have killed it or hunted it down. I don't understand the point of it, I'm afraid.

"If you see something like a leopard hunting an impala or something like that you are enthralled by it, but they are hunting for food. We hunt to show off, what is the point of that? I say it should stop. Trophy hunting is cruel, archaic and cowardly."

The trophy hunting import ban has cross party support, and campaigners are calling on members of the public to write to their MP, to back the ban, and give their elected representative cause to lobby for parliamentary time on the issue.

Eduardo Goncalves, spokesman for Ban Trophy Hunting, said: "Every week animals are being shot in the name of sport and fun, beautiful endangered animals. This does not help African communities and we have strong support from African leaders, community members and academics. Trophy Hunting's main beneficiaries in Africa are a small group of rich white people, and this is a terrible throwback to colonialism that needs to be stopped swiftly.

"The Government has promised to enact the ban, and every week wasted is leading to the deaths and transportation of more and more animals. Our message to the Government is keep your promise and do it fast, let's get the ban done."

To sign the petition and lend your support to the campaign go to www.bantropyhunting.org