Britain’s Prince William has helped bring about a breakthrough in tackling China’s stance on illegal wildlife trade, according to former Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Lord Hague, who chairs an anti-poaching taskforce, has revealed the future king has successfully lobbied officials based in Beijing to ensure that the demand for elephant ivory, rhino horn and other products is reduced.
Explaining the extent of the crisis, Lord Hague told the Huffington Post: "It’s a huge crisis, particularly in African wildlife
"About 35,000 elephants are being killed by poachers every year. In central Africa, more than 64 percent of the elephant population has been killed in the last decade.
"And 95 percent of the world’s rhinos have been killed in the past 40 years. Rhino poaching in South Africa was 13 dead animals 2007 was 1215 animals last year.
"This is on a cataclysmic scale. There will not be these animals any more unless we something about it very quickly."
He said too, that the Chinese are to send a delegation for the first time to a meeting of the taskforce group in London, with the overarching ambition being to create a solid action plan by early next year.
Prince William helps fight illegal wildlife trade
