The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, wrapped up a historic visit to Vietnam where he tried to reach people from across the spectrum with a message to end trafficking and consumption of endangered wildlife. Vietnam is the epicenter of the problem, which has pushed elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers and pangolins to the edge of extinction. After meeting with politicians, school children, traditional medicine practitioners, conservationists and young business leaders, he addressed the third International Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in Hanoi. You can view it below.
Tomorrow on All Things Considered join HPR ATC Host Dave Lawrence as he welcomes Madelon Willemsen Country Director for Vietnam from the NGO Traffic to the weekly Helping Hand segment. Traffic have embarked on a behavior change campaign in Vietnam called Chi Strength of Will to reach the most prolific group of rhino horn consumers there, affluent businessmen and government officials.
See some photos from his trip:
Prince William spent time with conservationists fighting for the animals in Vietnam.
Prince William handed out soft rhino toys to Vietnamese children and joined in a reading of the book "I am a Little Rhino".
The book reading Prince William attended was based on this illustrated short story designed to reach children and let them know the suffering baby rhinos face when their mothers are brutally killed in front of them for their horns. Similar titles based on elephants, tigers and pangolins have also been created by the Vietnamese government.
Prince William at the International Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference
Pangolins are on a fast track to extinction due to rampant poaching to feed demand primarily coming from consumers in Vietnam and China.
Hope the rhino survived an April 2015 poaching where she was darted and had both of her horns hacked off. She wandered for days before her rescue. After over a year of care and numerous surgeries with non-profit Saving the Survivors, she passed away of an intestinal bacterial infection just days before Prince William's trip to Vietnam.
During his trip to India earlier this year, Prince William spent time with baby elephants and rhinos. He and his brother Prince Harry have made the extinction crisis these animals face a priority.
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