Prince William has once again released a video message in support of United for Wildlife, of which he is President. The Duke of Cambridge’s new message is to announce a collaboration between United for Wildlife and Angry Birds (the game). They have created an Angry Birds Friends “Roll with the Pangolins” tournament which runs from November 17-23. This tournament is to help raise awareness of the scaly mammal – which is one of the world’s most endangered and trafficked mammals.
United for Wildlife is an organization created by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry that brings together seven of the world’s leading wildlife charities to create a global movement for change.
According to their website, United for Wildlife does not want money, but rather they are asking people to “spread the word” and raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade in order to… end the illegal wildlife trade. I have no idea how they intend to do that or how people tweeting (with the hashtag #WhoseSideAreYouOn) is really going to help.
I mean, they aren’t actually stopping the poachers, nor are they forcing the governments to make more legislation and prosecute the poachers. They must be hoping for the supply and demand effect: the less people buy products made from these poached animals, the less demand there is for the poached animals, and the less people poach them.
But the trick is getting the people who actually buy and use products made from these animals to stop buying and using them. Are the majority of the people buying and using these products in places like the US and UK?
I’d really like to know exactly what it is United for Wildlife are doing to help in this fight, but their website doesn’t really explain a lot. I get so frustrated when charity’s websites don’t fully explain exactly what they do and just speak in general terms.
I think ending the illegal wildlife trade is an important issue, though, and I’m glad that William seems to be showing genuine interest in this cause. William rarely shows genuine interest in anything, really, so that’s good. But his message would be a hell of a lot stronger if he himself stopped hunting for sport.
That was really nice of him, but how does it make the pangolins safe? I mean it’s great to broaden the knowledge about these animals but something more concrete needs to be done to stop the poaching and get their numbers up.
P.S. When did his nose get all swervy like that?
I agree. Other than promote themselves, I’m not sure what United for Wildlife actually does. Yes, they’re “raising awareness” but other than that, judging from their website, it doesn’t seem like they’re doing much.
I think I noticed the nose more when his hairline receded. Before the hair disappeared, I focused more on it. He had a great head of hair at one time.
Yes, India he did. And I don’t know if it’s bitterness or what but his looks have changed so much. He’s not as handsome as he used to be.
I totally agree. It’s shocking how much he’s changed over the years. He was so handsome at one point in time, now his looks reflect how grumpy he probably is.
William´s office looks very much like he does not use it very often. It looks like a “clean”(personality-free) hotelroom.
And could it be, he´s so involved with this topic because he has an intimate friend, Jecca, and her familiy, who are really involved in all this? Maybe this could be also an motivation for him. But on the ohter side, if you really want to move something and you have the ressources to be a global player your actions look different. If somebody is really into something, you look at this person and immediatly know what he or she stands for. I think the most royals just “have”to do the charities, it´s more dutie than anything else. Maybe the one or other has real awakening moments and tries to help out there in this sometimes weirdly chaotic world. But the blueblooded rest leans back in their Louis seize Armchairs and watch the fire and talk about how usefull they are…
Harry seems to really be invested in his Invictus thing, but you’re right most royals don’t look like they care that much when they do charity work.
KMR (sigh)
KMR you said a mouth full when you stated “But his message would be a hell of a lot stronger if he himself stopped hunting for sport.” You can’t be passionate about preventing something when you find enjoyment in what you are trying to prevent. PW has a case of do as I say, not as I do.
I think William (and Harry and Charles) put what they do and poaching in two different categories, seeing as the animals they hunt are not endangered. But I think that’s BS. There was a report that William wanted to destroy all the ivory in BP to send a message about the illegal wildlife trade, but a stronger message would be if he stopped and publicly denounced hunting/blood sports.
A lot of hunters are into conservation. They love the outdoors. They put hunting animals into extinction or poaching in the “Not Cool” category. It is quite common.
I don’t know what kind of hunting the royals do. They seem pretty tight lipped about it. Most of what I’ve heard comes from royal critics who can be biased, so I take what they say with a grain of salt. Personally, I condone hunting for meat and I can understand hunting for population control. We would be neck deep in some parts of the USA if we banned hunting wild pigs and rabbits. The former aren’t very good to eat and the latter are full of parasites. As for hunting for meat to eat, anyone who eats meat needs to be cautious criticizing people who hunt for food, given the fact that the food in the store was just as alive at one time as the animal in the forest, and at least the animal in the forest had a good life before becoming dinner. It also had something the food in the grocery store never gets, a chance to evade hunters and live for another year.
Animals are smart. Deer know when it’s hunting season in the USA because it always falls the same time every year. After the rut ends. You can go into the forest and see several bucks old enough to hunt before hunting season starts but once it begins, POOF! They disappear. You have to go find them. The head for the back country, for the national parks, for private land that doesn’t allow hunting. They know where the hunters go and don’t go.
I’ve never been wild turkey hunting but I’ve heard they’re the smartest animals to hunt. You even have to camouflage your face because they can tell it is a human. I’ve thought about having a wild turkey I caught myself for Thanksgiving dinner one year instead of one I bought at the grocery store.
There is a satisfaction of going out into the forest and finding your own food that can’t be replicated at the meat counter.
Not to mention, you know the animal is organic, free range, humanely raised and if you’re a good shot, humanely killed.
To bring it back to the royals. I don’t know if the kind of hunting I’ve described is what they do.
Well in Spain, or wherever it was Will went with Jecca earlier this year, they were hunting wild boar. And I know the royals hunt dear and birds. I think they do eat some of the animals they kill, but I don’t know about all of them.
You make a good point about meat-eaters not being able to denounce hunters since they too are eating animals that were once alive. You also make a good point about population control.
Because I’m totally shallow, Kate really is into beige, isn’t she? 🙂
Well she’s basically all beige herself. Bland, boring…
If the color of ones walls reflects ones personality, then Kate seems to have picked the color best representative of her.
Big from Sex and the City’s comment about his wife ran through my head. It was a scene at a furniture show with Carrie and her boyfriend.
“My wife is off buying some beige furniture. My whole life is beige. Beige is bullshit.”
Hmm, don’t know why I thought about that sentence looking at Waity’s beige room. 🙂
Well, I thought Big was beige-y and bullshit himself – but I agree on the blah-ness of the room.
LMAO. I kept on waiting for Carrie to kick Big to the curb for good. I always was an Aiden fan. Berger always was my least favorite SATC Carrie boyfriend.
I’ve been trying to figure out who is in the portrait in the background — any ideas?
I saw this on RD, hope it helps:
The Duchess of Teck’s proper title was Princess Mary Adelaide OF CAMBRIDGE, Duchess of Teck.
She was also said to be the most involved royal in her charitable efforts, who kept up an exhaustive schedule of charitable endeavours.
My goodness. I can’t believe I was crushing on him back in the day.
KMR, have you seen this: http://www.celebitchy.com/397731/prince_williams_press_office_is_in_shambles_because_he_does_not_take_advice/
I have the same secret shame! Whatever, I was a kid, it doesn’t count :). And in our defense he was waaaaaay hotter before he got bald.
He was hot back in, like, 2002 when I had a crush on him. His looks have certainly deteriorated.
Kmr where’s my comment???
I commented “what??? They kill the wildlife!!!” i was the first to comment!
The only reason a comment wouldn’t show up is if it had been put into moderation. Did you misspell your name or email address in the previous comment? Did you have two or more links? Those are the only reasons I can think why it would get sent to moderation. And unfortunately I didn’t see it. It was nothing personal, I just missed it, I’m so sorry.