Britain’s Prince William fears his daughter will never see a wild elephant.
The 33-year-old royal – who has five-month-old daughter Princess Charlotte and son Prince George, two, with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge – admits he is growing increasingly concerned about the illegal ivory trade affecting his little girl’s chance of seeing the majestic creature in the wild.
He said: "We have to accept the truth: that consumers are driving the demand for animal body parts, for art, for trinkets, or for medicine. Only we as consumers can put the wildlife traffickers out of business.
"It is time to talk about the growing human demand for illegal wildlife products that drives the trade and makes it profitable. The good news is that we are far from powerless in this struggle. We can turn the tide of extinction."
And the Duke of Cambridge – who is a long-time supporter of animal welfare – urged the 100 million people in China who are expected to watch the debate that they could be a "global leader" in protecting animals.
He added: "I am absolutely convinced that China can become a global leader in the protection of wildlife. Your influence in the world means you could change the face of conservation in this century. This would be a contribution that could go down in history."
Britain’s Prince William fears daughter will never see wild elephant
