A wildlife supporter .. and keen hunter too

PRINCE Philip and the Queen pose with the body of a tiger shot during a hunt on a trip to India.

The picture was taken in 1961 – the same year that Philip was helping to set up the World Wildlife Fund.

It seemed to be a contradiction. But despite his controversial love of hunting, he dedicated many years of his life to conservation.

The tiger shoot took place on a royal tour to Jaipur. A royal biographer wrote: “The Maharajah was very clear about the main purpose of the visit: the Duke of Edinburgh was going to shoot a tiger… at the very moment the Duke was in the process of establishing the World Wildlife Fund, which would be founded four months later.

“Yet in the India of 1961, the tiger was still seen as a pest and a very desirable trophy. There was certainly no secrecy about the exercise.”

The Duke is said to have told reporters: “Of course I plan to shoot a tiger if possible, why not?”

But Philip became an unlikely eco-warrior, travelling the world to lobby world leaders to save endangered species such as the panda, tiger and rhino from extinction, even while taking part in traditional shoots at Sandringham and Balmoral.

As president of the World Wildlife Fund, he lobbied against dam building and poaching, warning that for man to survive, wildlife had to be preserved.

He said: “There was a time when people thought we were a lot of cranks, crying wolf, but people are beginning to realise this is a global problem.”

As patron of the Industrial Society – now known as the Work Foundation – he visited coal mines, factories, research stations and laboratories as he helped British industry compete in the world.

He believed good employers created better products.

He was ahead of his time on green issues, too. Nearly 30 years ago, he was driving early electric vehicles around the capital.

And he was never afraid to speak out in defence of the environment.

It was a legacy he passed on to his son, Prince Charles.