Prince Harry goes in to bat for jumbos

LONDON: Prince Harry has released photographs and videos of his taking part in one of the world’s biggest elephant conservation projects this year, including photographs of him spraying identification marks on a darted elephant.

The prince spent three weeks in Malawi where he worked alongside volunteers, vets and experts on the front line of one of the largest and most significant elephant translocations, to move 500 animals from Majete and Liwonde, where numbers are thriving, to help replenish stocks in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, which is now under the control of African Parks and will allow elephants to live safely.

The prince’s comments on the project were released in a statement issued by Kensington Palace yesterday.

“Human populations in southern Africa have increased annually by an average of 1.16% from 1960 to today, from 73 milion to 320 million,” Harry said, speaking on the importance of the work.

“There is no question at all that Africa’s wildlife will be increasingly susceptible to growing human populations and their requirements for land.

“Elephants simply can’t roam freely like they used to without coming into conflict with communities, or being threatened by poaching and persecution.”

Taking part in this project, the prince was keen to get experience on the front line of conservation, and learn more about the issues affecting wildlife in Africa.

He wanted to release the video and photographs, to which he has written captions, to draw attention to this important work, and the scale and ambition of the project. – Weekend Argus Reporter

Prince Harry with vets and other volunteers holds on to an elephant while working with African Parks in Malawi.