<![CDATA[The Duke of Cambridge condemned the illegal
wildlife trade as "one of the most insidious forms of corruption
and criminality in the world" when he spoke at the World Bank
during a visit to Washington D.C. today.
Prince William, speaking at the International Corruption Hunters
Alliance conference, made his heartfelt plea to over 300 corruption
experts, heads and senior members of anti-corruption and
prosecuting agencies; and representatives of international
organizations from more than 120 countries.
The Duke drew upon frightening statistics and facts throughout
the speech, stating that the number of rhinos poached in
South Africa had increased from 13 in 2007 to over 600 in 2012 and
that the number of elephants poached now outstripped the number of
births.
The illegal wildlife trade, which is a large problem especially in
under-developed and conflict-ridden countries, has left some
species “literally worth more than their weight in
gold,” according to Prince William.
The Duke has been a vocal supporter of tackling this type of crime
and praised his father, The Prince and grandfather, The Duke of
Edinburgh for their work in international conservation and told of
how it was through them that he had learnt to appreciate wildlife
and nature.
In the past year, William has used The Royal Foundation; a
joint venture to support his, his wife’s and brother, Prince
Harry’s, philanthropic interests, to support a number of
organisations helping to crack down on illegal trafficking.
Last month, as Patron of United4Wildlife, he partnered with the
makers of Angry Birds to raise awareness of the endangered
pangolin.
During his speech, The Duke announced that the former UK Foreign
Secretary William Hague, who accompanied the Duke to the World Bank
today, will chair an international taskforce with the aim of
shutting down international trafficking routes.
After the speech, His Royal Highness attended a working lunch.
Prince William is currently undertaking a two-day tour of
New York City and Washington D.C. and had met with US President
Barack Obama earlier during the day. During his meeting, the Prince
told the President that he was so excited with the birth of his son
Prince George that he initially forgot to ask whether his wife
had given birth to a girl or boy.
The Duchess of Cambridge remained in New York City today, visiting
the Northside Center for Child Development with the First Lady of
New York City. In a last-minute change to the couple’s itinerary,
she joined her husband at a conservation reception at the British
Consul General’s residence this evening.
The reception, co-hosted by Hillary Clinton and her daughter
Chelsea, was originally scheduled as a solo engagement for The
Duke.
The couple will attend a NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and
Cleveland Cavaliers later, before they begin their final day of
engagements in New York City tomorrow.
The full text of Prince William’s speech at the World Bank is
available online. Royal Central
is providing extensive coverage of the The Duke and
Duchess’s tour and our latest updates can be found via our
Twitter feed: @RoyalCentral
Image Credits: Featured – Screenshot (Live Feed of Duke
of Cambridge’s address at ICHA), Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images, Chip
Somodevilla/Getty Images]]>
It’s a horrible thought that I will most likely see the extinction of these beautiful animals within my lifetime.