Share

The prince and the pangolin: William joins fight to save this shy little critter

accreditation

Cape Town – Prince William has joined the fight to end wildlife crime.

The Duke of Cambridge attended the first ever United for Wildlife Joint Taskforce meeting on Tuesday.

United for Wildlife consists of seven conservation organisations that are united in bringing together governments, and global corporations in the fight to end illegal wildlife trade.

This includes protecting the pangolin from the horrific poaching and illegal trade that is driving them to extinction.

"It has taken a lot of hard work – and real commitment – to get to the point where you are all sitting here together today. And we should all feel proud that we’re starting to see an impact. But it’s just that. The start," William said addressing an audience.

He added: "For although we have made progress, we are barely scratching the surface of what we can achieve…

"The scale of what we are dealing with remains deeply worrying. In the last four months there have been nine significant seizures in South East Asian countries alone involving tonnes of pangolin scales, rhino horns and ivory."

William concluded his speech by motivating all those involved to keep fighting.

WATCH WILLIAM GIVE HIS SPEECH HERE:

William's support for the pangolin coincides with the release of a ground-breaking new documentary, Eye of the Pangolin, that sees filmmakers Bruce Young (Blood Lions) and Johan Vermeulen (Kalahari Tails) on a mission to capture the four species of African pangolin on film to raise awareness of these shy, beguiling creatures and save them from extinction.

The doccie is due to be released globally on 18 May and will be available for streaming online.

READ MORE: Meet the filmmakers behind the ground-breaking new documentary that is fighting to save the pangolin 



We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE