During his final day of his Royal tour of China, The Duke of Cambridge spoke out and condemned the illegal wildlife trade in a speech to the Regional Wildlife and Conservation Conference.
Prince William began his final day in China by meeting villagers in Xishuangbanna, and heard about how, by adapting their ways of living, they are now successfully able to live in close proximity to wild elephants.
After this, The Duke visited an elephant sanctuary in the south western province of Yunnan. It was here that William was able to feed Ran Ran, a 13 year-old female elephant who was rescued and now is cared for at the sanctuary. Ran Ran was rescued in 2005, when she was found in a jungle river, with a leg wound sustained after being caught in a trap.
After feeding Ran Ran, William climbed up the Wild Elephant Walkway at the XSBN National Nature Reserve. After climbing to the first viewing point, The Duke met a number of local and national Forestry officials, where spoke to them about their policies and efforts in helping to converse wild Asian elephants.
After climbing to the second viewing point, William met with young Chinese conservationists. The Prince heard about how these young people are trying to raise awareness for elephant conservation.
It was here that The Duke also had the chance to witness a wildlife conservation photography exhibition.
Just as his grandfather did in 1986, Prince William then visited the XSBN Botanical Gardens, where he planted a tree close to where The Duke of Edinburgh did 29 years ago on his visit to China with The Queen.
The Prince ended his visit to the gardens by attending the Regional Wildlife and Conservation Conference at the Botanical Gardens Conference. It was here that William spoke out about the illegal wildlife trade.
Speaking to the conference of delegates from China and British research students, The Prince said: “Protecting our environment is not just an ideal. As the poet Wang Taiyue wrote over a century ago, “if humans take all there is, if they show no restraint, their force is enough to wear out both Heaven and Earth”. We have to conserve our planet – to provide security and prosperity for all people, and indeed to sustain humanity.”
The Duke continued by saying: “The greatest threat to elephants worldwide today is not local farmers protecting their livelihoods, it is ruthless and organised poaching and trafficking.
“It is appalling that elephants – and many others – may be extinct in the wild in our lifetimes, and that we seem to be hurtling towards that tragic outcome. The extinction of animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins would be an immeasurable loss to the whole of humanity.”
Prince William, along with his brother, Prince Harry, and his father, The Prince of Wales, have continued to promote awareness of animal conservation over the years, and the preservation of our nearly extinct animals have long been a cause that is close to William. Both he and Prince Harry are ambassadors of United for Wildlife – a charity which strongly opposes the illegal wildlife trade and aims to eliminate poaching, in order to preserve species of animals which are close to extinction.
Speaking about his meeting with the Chinese President yesterday, Prince William said: “The president, whom I met during my visit, told me of the steps China is taking and the intention to do more. I welcome that. China can be a global leader in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. I greatly hope that the United Kingdom and China can partner with one another in this endeavour.”
Ending his speech at the conference, The Duke stated: “If I may add one final, heartfelt message, it is that, ultimately, ending demand for ivory is down to citizens across the world. No tradition or fashion is worth the extinction of an entire species, and no criminal gang should be allowed to destroy any part of nature. I am sure that there are millions of people who share this conviction.”
This event marked the end of The Prince’s tour of China.
Featured photo credit: HRH Prince William Duke of Cambridge Speaks at the Third Annual International Corruption Hunter Alliance via photopin (license)
