Beasts are no burden for Stones

RONNIE’S ANIMAL VOW

VETERAN rockers The Rolling Stones have all become massive animal lovers in their old age. Ronnie Wood, 69, and his bandmates are such big fans of wildlife they campaign to protect endangered species. Guitarist Wood is a patron of conservation charity The Tusk Trust alongside names including Prince William. And in recent years he has convinced his fellow Wild Horses hitmakers, including Mick Jagger, 72, Keith Richards, 72, and Charlie Watts, 75, to love the animals too. A passionate Ronnie said: “I love seeing animals in the wild. There is nothing like it. “Poachers are so annoying. You just want to catch one in the act and kill him. “People have said they’d like to make sculptures from poachers’ bones. You would think they would ease off. They would literally kill the last of a species. “The rest of the band are all into the cause. They are serious about it. Mick has been on safari. Charlie and Keith have too.” The Tusk Trust protects wildlife across Africa including lions, rhinos and elephants. And having twins with his third wife, 38-year-old Sally Humphreys, has made Ronnie even more concerned about the future of wildlife.

He became a dad to Alice and Gracie on his 69th birthday last month, bringing his total number of offspring to six.

Ronnie said: “We want them to see animals when they grow up. It is a really simple thing, really. We want our kids to see these things in the wild as they were long before us.

“We have a licence to wipe them out – it is pretty threatening and frightening. Hopefully we can do something about that.

“The next for me is I am going to learn how to handle two girls at once.

“And hopefully we will keep the fight going to help the animals.”