‘Saddened’ Prince William pays tribute to animal ranger shot and killed in South Africa as he calls for his killers to ‘swiftly be brought to justice’
- Anton Mzimba, a head ranger for the Timbavati reserve was killed yesterday
- Prince William connected with Mzimba last year through conservation work
- The Duke said Mzimba was ‘committed and brave’ in combatting poachers
- Rangers in South Africa are a target for criminals looking to profit off the illegal wildlife trade
The Duke of Cambridge has shared a heartfelt tribute to a wildlife ranger who was reportedly shot dead outside his home in South Africa on Tuesday.
Anton Mzimba was the one of the head rangers at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province and a technical advisor for the Global Conservation Corps.
Prince William connected with Mzimba last autumn when the royal, who is a keen conservationist and has long campaigned against illegal wildlife smuggling, paid a visit to Microsoft HQ in Reading to learn about a new device to combat ivory smugglers.
In a message posted on his official Twitter account, and signed off by William, he said: ‘I’m deeply saddened to learn of the killing of Anton Mzimba who I spoke to in November.
‘Committed and brave, rangers like Anton are central to the conservation of Africa’s fantastic wildlife. Those responsible must swiftly be brought to justice. My thoughts are with his family. W’
Anton Mzimba (L) was the one of the head rangers at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province and a technical advisor for the Global Conservation Corps
A keen conservationist, The Duke of Cambridge met Mzimba on a conference call during a visit to Microsoft HQ in Reading to learn how new AI scanning technology can increase detection of illegal wildlife products being trafficked through international airports
Timbavati reserve also tweeted in tribute to the ranger: ‘Anton, you have left a legacy – one which we will, in your honour, hold up high and never forget.
‘We mourn the loss of Mr Anton Mzimba, Head of Ranger Services, who dedicated 25 years of his life to the Timbavati. A true testimony of a wildlife warrior.’
In a tweet posted on its official account, the charity Helping Rhinos said: ‘Head of Ranger at Timbavati, Anton Mzimba, was shot and killed outside of his home last night.
‘This follows recent death threats and highlights the daily threat facing Rangers. Our deepest condolences to Anton’s loved ones and co-workers at this difficult time.’
Rangers in national parks and wildlife reserves in South Africa have dramatically bumped up anti-poaching protocols in recent years, which has led to a significant decline in the rate of poaching.
But this has made the rangers a target for criminals who stand to gain wild profits from illegal trading of wildlife items and animal products.
Prince William in November spoke with Mzimba about the difficulties faced by rangers in combatting poaching, and observed Microsoft’s SEEKER technology which is able to detect illegal wildlife items concealed in baggage and cargo.
The Duke also heard about the potential of this technology as part of his work with The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife, whose partners helped the project in development.
United for Wildlife was founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2014 with the aim of protecting endangered species and their habitats from the Illegal Wildlife Trade.
Mr Mzimba reportedly told William about the involvement of criminal gangs in targeting wildlife: ‘This is a very well-organised crime. It involves local people. But, down the line, it goes across the border of the country,’ he said.
The illegal wildlife trade is among the five most lucrative global crimes and is often run by highly organised criminal networks.
Getting hands on! The father-of-three touched a screen during a visit to the Microsoft headquarters (pictured)
The Duke was shown a video of a wildlife ranger during his visit to the software company’s UK headquarters earlier today
The Duke could be seen studying the scanning technology which can detect illegal wildlife products being trafficked through airports
While in Reading, Prince William was led through examples of several poaching cases from end to end, and learned how United for Wildlife partners are helping to disrupt this criminal network at each stage.
He then heard from Rangers at the Southern Africa Wildlife College about the latest situation on the ground there, where nearly 400 rhinos are poached each year.
UK Border Force officials visiting Microsoft HQ also told William how criminals aim to exploit the transport network to move their product around the globe and how SEEKER can help to thwart this.
SEEKER has a proven successful detection rate of over 70 per cent on ivory products, but importantly it can be trained on any species and integrated into current airport screening and scanning infrastructure.
It can build intelligence for global enforcement teams to better see what is being trafficked, where it has come from and where it is going.
The Duke also heard from United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce partners and the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force how seizures at airports are just the start of a complex financial investigation.
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