Britain’s Prince William has called for China to end its ivory trade.
The 32-year-old royal spoke out after visiting Xishuangbanna, an elephant sanctuary, and appealed to end the slaughter of the animals for their tusks, calling the venture a "vicious form of criminality".
He said: "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 there are millions of people who share this conviction.
"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."
William – whose pregnant wife Duchess Catherine and 19-month-old son Prince George have stayed in the UK – has enjoyed a seven-day visit to China and Japan and said as it came to a close yesterday (04.03.15) he had had a "truly wonderful" time.
He said: "I’ve had a truly wonderful visit to Japan and China. I’ve met lots of wonderful people – a very warm reception, and I really enjoyed myself.
"I look forward to building on relationships and building on partnerships going forward and doing as much collaboration as possible in a number of areas.
"But it’s been very enjoyable and I have had a great time."
Prince William makes ivory appeal
