Hanoi - Britain’s Prince William urged a united global effort against illegal wildlife trafficking at the opening of a conservationist conference in Hanoi on Thursday.
Despite progress in combating the black markets in illegal wildlife body parts, the Duke of Cambridge, who is second in line to the British throne, said efforts to save animals would likely fail without more vigorous action.
“The betting man would still bet on extinction,” he said in a speech at Hanoi’s Lotte Hotel to a room of around 100 international delegates, lamenting the plight of elephants, rhinoceroses and pangolins in particular.
The prince said the use of these animal parts, which are considered luxury items in some countries, should be shunned.
African elephants, he said, had decreased in numbers by 30 percent in the past seven years.
“We know now what previous generations did not; ivory is not something to be desired, and when it’s removed from an elephant it’s not beautiful,” said William.
The Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, which is the third such annual meeting, was organised by the Vietnamese government in conjunction with the UK government and the UN Office for Drugs and Crime.
William, who is president of the conservationist group United for Wildlife, also spoke with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday.
“The Duke will engage with a wide cross section of Vietnamese society in order to encourage the work of local people to stamp out the use of things like rhino horn,” read a statement issued by William’s office prior to his arrival in Vietnam.
Vietnam is one of the biggest consumers of elephant ivory and rhino horn worldwide.
Some locals believe rhino horn has important medicinal and aphrodisiac properties, and it is seen as a status symbol.
Ivory, of which at least 40 tons have been seized since 2011, is frequently transported to the Chinese market from Africa by way of Vietnam.
dpa