Conservationists have hit out at Prince William after the heir to the throne claimed that trophy hunting of animals could be justified in certain circumstances.
The Duke of Cambridge said in an interview for ITV News that commercial hunting could have a positive impact on efforts to save endangered species.
“So when [an animal] is infertile, he’s at the end of his life, if somebody out there wants to pay that money – and it wouldn’t be me – but if somebody did, then as long as that money goes back into protection of the species then it is a justifiable means of conserving species that are under serious threat,” he said.
The prince also said that there was a link between poaching and terrorism, and called for action to break any connection between the two.
He added: “In certain areas there is potential evidence and links that I can’t go into myself but I know of that are of a concern that I think we should be taking more urgent action.”
The UK-based charity Lion Aid was among those leading the criticism, describing William comments as a “sad day”.
It added in a statement: “With likely less than 15,000 wild lions left in Africa, there is no place for commercial hunting of lions. With an estimated 1,500 wild male lions in existence and with current ‘offtake’ for trophy hunting of 300 per annum, continued trophy hunting cannot be deemed as sustainable.
“A lion of six years of age is not ‘post reproduction’, in fact it is just coming into his maturity, yet it is at this age most African Countries offer these prime males as trophy.”
The prince was also criticised in 2014 when he went on a deer and wild boar hunting trip in Spain a day before he launched a high-profile appeal to stop the illegal hunting of wildlife.
There was no suggestion the hunting trip was in any way illegal, but critics suggested that the timing of the holiday was poor, coming before an appeal close to the prince’s heart.
The prince also used the interview to respond to accusations that he is work-shy by saying such criticisms are “part of the job”.
The 33-year-old has been dubbed a part-time royal by some critics after it was reported he had carried out just 87 appearances in the UK last year and 35 on overseas trips, compared to his elderly grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh, who carried out 250.
It had been claimed the Duke, who works as an air ambulance pilot, is prevented from carrying out more royal duties on his days off because of European red tape, but this was denied by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Pictures of the Cambridges on a skiing trip in the Alps with Prince George and Princess Charlotte also provoked anger.
