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Prince William promotes elephant conservation on China visit Prince William condemns illegal wildlife trade on China visit
(about 1 hour later)
The Duke of Cambridge has visited an elephant sanctuary on the final day of his tour of China. The Duke of Cambridge has condemned illegal wildlife trading in a speech on the final day of his tour of China.
Prince William helped feed elephants at the Xishuangbanna sanctuary in the south western province of Yunnan. Prince William called it a "vicious form of criminality" that "erodes the rule of law, fuels conflict and may even fund terrorism".
The prince, who is president of the organisation United for Wildlife, has campaigned against the illegal trade in elephant ivory. The prince made the speech after visiting an elephant sanctuary in the south western province of Yunnan.
He has worked to raise awareness among the Chinese, who are a huge consumer of the product. He has worked to raise awareness of illegal trading among the Chinese, who are huge consumers of ivory.
The prince helped to feed Ran Ran, a 13-year-old rescued female Asian elephant, who was discovered in a jungle river in 2005 with a leg wound caused by a trap. The prince who is president of the organisation United for Wildlife said: "The greatest threat to elephants worldwide today is not local farmers protecting their livelihoods, it is ruthless and organised poaching and trafficking."
He talked about how the world seemed to be "hurtling towards" elephants becoming extinct in the wild which he said would be "an immeasurable loss to humanity".
He commended China's contribution to the protection of wildlife in Africa but said there was more work to be done, calling for increased international efforts to prevent criminals from smuggling wildlife via legitimate trade networks and reducing demand.
He said he had discussed the issues with China's president Xi Jinping during talks in Beijing.
During the visit the prince helped to feed Ran Ran, a 13-year-old rescued female Asian elephant, who was discovered in a jungle river in 2005 with a leg wound caused by a trap.
The prince also met villagers in Xishuangbanna prefecture to hear how they were adapting to living in close proximity to wild elephants.The prince also met villagers in Xishuangbanna prefecture to hear how they were adapting to living in close proximity to wild elephants.
He arrived in China on Sunday after a four-day trip to Japan.He arrived in China on Sunday after a four-day trip to Japan.
In Beijing, he met Chinese political leaders as well as young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.