Safari Club International
Safari Club International is a U.S.-based hunters' association that advocates hunting rights, wildlife-management policies, and conservation programs.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Safari Club International (SCI) is a U.S.-based membership organization of hunters founded in 1972. It presents its central mission as protecting the “freedom to hunt,” while also promoting conservation, outdoor education, humanitarian assistance, and the sustainable use of wildlife. The organization developed from the Los Angeles Safari Club, whose members voted on March 9, 1972, to adopt the name Safari Club International and establish the Los Angeles group as its first chapter. SCI held its first convention in 1973. The organization is structured around local chapters and an international membership. Reference material describes more than 40,000 members and approximately 180 chapters. Its activities combine advocacy, events, communications, hunting-record administration, and charitable programming. SCI lobbies U.S. lawmakers and federal agencies on hunting regulations, international wildlife-trade rules, endangered-species policy, trophy imports, and related issues. It has supported the position that carefully regulated hunting can create economic incentives for habitat protection, fund breeding or reintroduction programs, and provide resources to rural communities. These claims are contested by animal-protection and conservation groups, particularly when they concern hunting of threatened species or the importation of hunting trophies. SCI's principal public event is its annual hunters' convention, which brings together exhibitors, hunting outfitters, equipment companies, conservation organizations, and members. The 2023 convention in Tennessee reportedly included more than 850 exhibitors from 30 countries. The organization also publishes Safari magazine, a bimonthly publication covering hunting narratives, equipment, books, conservation, and issues affecting hunters. Its first issue appeared in September 1971, before the formal 1972 name change. Additional communications include SCI News and the Tag Soup podcast. SCI maintains the Safari Club International Record Book, described as one of the world's largest systems for recording hunted animals and trophies. A separate but affiliated legal entity, the Safari Club International Foundation, focuses on wildlife conservation, outdoor education, and humanitarian services. Foundation-linked initiatives have included Sportsmen Against Hunger, which distributes donated game meat through food-bank networks; Sensory Safari, which gives blind and visually impaired participants tactile encounters with animal mounts and other materials; SafariCare, which transports medical, educational, and relief supplies to remote communities; SafariWish, which supports hunting experiences for children with life-threatening illnesses; and a Disabled Hunter program that helps disabled sportsmen participate in hunts. The foundation formerly operated a wildlife museum in Tucson, Arizona; reference material states that the museum permanently closed in 2023. SCI also owns Granite Ranch in Wyoming, where it hosts the American Wilderness Leadership School. SCI has attracted sustained criticism over trophy hunting, awards associated with the taking of endangered or threatened animals, and the conduct of some members. Its history includes lobbying on polar-bear trophy imports, opposition to proposed federal protections for polar bears, disputes over captive-bred African antelope, and controversy involving former president and major donor Ken Behring. The 2015 killing of Cecil the lion by SCI member Walter Palmer prompted international condemnation and led SCI to suspend Palmer's membership; Zimbabwean authorities later dropped charges against him. These controversies illustrate the continuing conflict between SCI's hunting-rights and sustainable-use position and opponents who argue that trophy hunting can harm wildlife populations, weaken enforcement, or normalize the killing of endangered species.
History
Safari Club International traces its origins to the Los Angeles Safari Club. The precursor chapter published Safari magazine from September 1971 and formally became the first SCI chapter when members approved the new international name at a March 9, 1972 meeting. The organization held its first convention in 1973 and subsequently expanded through a chapter-based membership model. From its early years, SCI combined social and sporting activities with political advocacy. It sought to influence U.S. rules governing hunting, imports, endangered species, and international wildlife trade. A 1979 application to import trophies from numerous species for stated research and conservation incentives was denied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1994, SCI supported legislative changes that enabled imports of certain legally hunted Canadian polar-bear trophies. It later opposed the proposed federal listing of polar bears as threatened, citing concerns about the effects of restrictions on hunting and local communities. The organization has also built an extensive communications and event platform. Safari magazine developed from a small 24-page publication into a larger bimonthly magazine. SCI's annual convention became a major meeting place for outfitters, equipment suppliers, exhibitors, and hunters. Its Record Book created a prominent system for documenting trophies and recognizing hunters, while SCI News and the Tag Soup podcast extended its outreach. Conservation and humanitarian work is carried out both by SCI and by the separately incorporated Safari Club International Foundation. The foundation's programs have included game-meat donations, tactile wildlife education for blind participants, medical and school-supply deliveries, and assistance for disabled hunters and seriously ill children. The foundation operated a Tucson wildlife museum from 1988 until its reported permanent closure in 2023 and continues to be associated with outdoor education facilities including Granite Ranch in Wyoming. SCI's history has been marked by controversy. Critics have challenged its support for trophy hunting of endangered or threatened animals, its awards system, and its policy positions. Former president and donor Ken Behring faced criticism over hunts involving rare animals in Kazakhstan and elephants in Mozambique. SCI founder C. J. McElroy resigned in 1988 after controversies surrounding his hunting record and alleged disregard for hunting laws. In 2015, member Walter Palmer's killing of Cecil the lion caused worldwide condemnation and resulted in the suspension of his SCI membership. SCI continues to frame regulated hunting as compatible with conservation, while opponents dispute that premise and call for stronger restrictions on trophy hunting and imports.
- 2023
Tucson wildlife museum closes
[1]The SCI Foundation’s Tucson wildlife museum was reported to have permanently closed.
- 1997
Sensory Safari partnership expands
[1]The National Federation of the Blind signed an agreement supporting Sensory Safari presentations at future national and state conventions.
- 1989
Sportsmen Against Hunger begins
[1]The affiliated foundation launched a program distributing donated wild-game meat to food banks and relief organizations.
- 1988
McElroy resigns
[1]Founder C. J. McElroy was forced to resign from SCI leadership.
- 1973
First SCI convention
[1]SCI held its first annual convention.
- 1972
Safari Club International is established
[1]Members of the Los Angeles Safari Club voted to adopt the SCI name and recognize their chapter as the first in the new organization.
- 1971
Safari magazine begins publication
[1]The organization’s predecessor published the first issue of Safari magazine in September, before the formal creation of SCI.
Products and positioning
Advocacy and membership organization for hunters that combines hunting-rights lobbying with conservation, outdoor education, record keeping, exhibitions, and humanitarian programs.
Publication · 1971
Safari magazine
SCI’s bimonthly magazine covers hunting experiences, equipment and book reviews, conservation reports, and policy issues affecting hunters. It began in September 1971 as a 24-page publication with a reported circulation of 1,000 copies and later expanded in size and scope.
Record-keeping service
SCI Record Book
The Safari Club International Record Book documents and ranks hunted animals according to SCI’s record-keeping standards. It is presented as one of the largest trophy-record systems in the world and supports the organization’s awards and recognition culture.
Event and exhibition · 1973
Annual convention
SCI’s annual convention is a large membership, advocacy, and trade event featuring outfitters, equipment suppliers, exhibitors, conservation groups, and hunting-related services. The 2023 gathering in Tennessee reportedly included more than 850 exhibitors from 30 countries.
Controversies
2015
Cecil the lion killing
SCI member Walter Palmer participated in the killing of Cecil, a lion in Zimbabwe tracked by an Oxford research project. The incident provoked global condemnation, and SCI suspended Palmer’s membership. Zimbabwe later dropped criminal charges against him.
1998
Elephant hunts in Mozambique
Behring and two SCI leaders were criticized over elephant killings in Mozambique, where sport hunting of elephants had reportedly been banned. Local officials questioned the permit, the alleged use of a helicopter, and missing tusks; participants disputed accusations of illegality.
1997
Ken Behring and Kara Tau argali controversy
Former SCI president and major donor Ken Behring was criticized after killing a rare Kara Tau argali in Kazakhstan. Questions about permits, conservation status, and the proposed transfer of the trophy to the Smithsonian generated public controversy; the Smithsonian later withdrew its import-waiver request and reviewed its acquisition policies.
Marketing campaigns
- 1997Sensory Safari
United States
Sensory Safari uses mounts, skins, skulls, horns, and antlers to give blind and visually impaired participants a tactile understanding of wildlife.
Outcome. A memorandum with the National Federation of the Blind supported presentations at future NFB national and state conventions.
- 1989Sportsmen Against Hunger
United States
The SCI Foundation program coordinates SCI chapters and food banks to distribute meat from harvested animals to people requiring food assistance.
Outcome. SCI reported that more than 250,000 pounds of wild game had been donated to charitable relief organizations by 2006.
- SafariCare
International
SafariCare supports the delivery of medical, school, and relief supplies to clinics and schools in remote developing regions through participating hunters and SCI chapters.
- Disabled Hunter program
United States · International
The program uses SCI chapters to sponsor hunting trips and participation opportunities for disabled sportsmen.
Brand decisions
2007
Opposition to threatened listing of polar bearsStrategyBackground
SCI opposed a proposed U.S. Endangered Species Act listing, while federal wildlife officials cited climate-change risks to polar-bear survival.
Action taken
SCI testified at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hearing against the proposed listing.
Aftermath
The dispute reflected SCI’s broader position that regulated hunting can support conservation and local interests, a position challenged by environmental organizations.
1994
Support for polar-bear trophy importsStrategyBackground
SCI sought to restore the ability of U.S. hunters to import certain trophies from legally hunted Canadian polar bears.
Action taken
The organization lobbied for a change to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Aftermath
The legislative change permitted qualifying imports of previously restricted polar-bear trophies.
Recent events
- 2023
SCI annual convention draws international exhibitors[1]
Campaign · Other
The annual convention in Tennessee reportedly brought together more than 850 exhibitors from 30 nations and served as a major hunting-industry and advocacy gathering.
- 2007
SCI opposes proposed endangered-species listing for polar bears[1]
Regulation
SCI testified against a proposed U.S. listing of polar bears as threatened, arguing that the measure would shift hunting opportunities rather than necessarily improve conservation outcomes.
- 1994
SCI lobbies for polar-bear trophy imports[1]
Regulation · Other
SCI successfully supported a change to the Marine Mammal Protection Act that allowed certain legally hunted polar-bear trophies from Canada to be imported into the United States.
- 1979
SCI seeks approval to import hunting trophies for research and propagation purposes[1]
Regulation · Other
SCI sought federal approval to import 1,125 trophies representing 40 species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the request because the specimens came from hunted animals.
Sources2 sources
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