Prince William's tough remarks on wildlife trafficking: ‘This is a battle’

Britain's Prince William said that seven countries — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Britain and the United States — have committed at the United for Wildlife Summit in Singapore to deepen their intelligence-sharing and other cooperation. This will help in combatting money laundering by international gangs engaged in the illegal wildlife trade, he said as he spoke in Singapore.

The Prince of Wales said that the wildlife population around the world has plummeted by almost 70% over the past 50 years.

“From here in Southeast Asia to North America, the Amazon to Africa, traffickers in more than 150 countries are developing more sophisticated networks to smuggle wildlife products across air, land and sea,” he said.

“They feed a global black market that has made flora and fauna the fourth most-traded illegal commodity in the world, worth up to $20 billion," he added, asserting that joint investigations will lead to more high-value seizures and arrests.

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“We know where the animals are being poached; we know the routes through which they are illegally transported; we know the financial systems that criminal networks are exploiting to finance their trade; and we know the main markets that are fueling the demand for it,” he said.

“This is a battle that can and must be won," he continued saying that criminal gangs that traffic rhino horn, tiger paws and pangolin scales are part of the same highly organized gangs that traffic drugs, arms and people.

Prince William also said that his wife Kate Middleton couldn’t join him on his four-day visit as she has to help their eldest son, George, “through his first set of major exams."

Prince William is in Singapore for the annual The Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, the first to be held in Asia. His charity launched the global competition in 2020 to promote innovative solutions and technologies to combat global warming and protect the planet.

Actors Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K. Brown are co-hosting the event, which will be attended by wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and Cate Blanchett, Lana Condor and Nomzamo Mbatha.

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