THE Duke of Cambridge and
the Prince of Wales have joined the campaign against the
trafficking of wild animals.
They hosted a conference
on wildlife crime, which focused on the plights of three species -
elephant, tiger, and rhino - whose future is endangered by the
international trade in body parts.
The Duke of Cambridge
said: "My fear is that one of two things will stop the illegal
trade: either we take action to stem the trade, or we run out of
the animals. I sincerely hope my generation is not the first on the
planet to consider elephants, tigers, and rhino historical
creatures, like the dodo.
"Now is the time for
young people who believe passionately in protecting these species
to speak out before it is too late. Education is a crucial part of
the solution."
His grandfather, the Duke
of Edinburgh, set up the Alliance of Religions and Conservation
(ARC) in 1986, to help the world's main faiths to develop
environmental programmes based on their own teachings, beliefs, and
practices.
It has seen some
successes: the Duke's campaign among élite sectors of Japanese
society to make it socially unacceptable to have ivory artefacts
has meant that Japan no longer figures in the illegal animal
trade.
ARC representatives
attended the meeting and presented Prince Charles with new faith
commitments against the illegal wildlife-trade. They discussed
progress made by Taoists in China to stop the use of animal parts
in traditional Chinese medicine.
Prince Charles told the
conference that it was "unthinkable" that animals should become
extinct: "The destruction of animal species will diminish us
all."