Bronx, New York, (Nov. 26, 2013) -- The following statement was issued today by Dr. John Robinson, Executive Vice President of Global Conservation Programs at the Wildlife Conservation Society:

"The Wildlife Conservation Society extends appreciation to The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge for convening today at the Zoological Society of London a pivotal meeting in the globe's efforts to stop wildlife trafficking.

"It was an honor for our team, represented by Dr. Sue Lieberman, WCS Executive Director of Global Conservation Policy, to discuss anti -poaching efforts with The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge. We know their involvement will help save wildlife.

"The Duke of Cambridge is President of United for Wildlife, a collaboration of seven of the largest global Conservation organisations. The partners include: Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, International Union for Conservation of Nature, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF-UK, the Zoological Society of London and The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

"The collaboration aims to substantially increase the global response to major conservation crises and today's meeting addressed head on the issue of wildlife trafficking.

"The meeting in part focused on the SMART approach, which secures best practices in Law Enforcement through blending capacity building and cutting edge technologies to support front line staff and their managers in their fight against poachers. SMART was developed by a global consortium of NGOs and conservation agencies, which includes WCS, CITES-MIKE, Frankfurt Zoological Society, North Carolina Zoo, ZSL and WWF.

"In addition, TRAFFIC issued initial results from a wildlife trafficking report which is expected to inform a scaling up of efforts to combat this trade.

"We congratulate The Royal Foundation for its keen interest to increase anti-poaching support for the most effective programmes on the ground; test new solutions; build a solid body of evidence for effective, scalable solutions; and enable the next generation to take a lead in protecting our world's natural resources.

"Just last year, more than 35,000 elephants were poached in Africa. That is about 96 a day. Criminal syndicates are killing the elephants for the ivory. United for Wildlife will help us to ensure we put an end to this horrific crime."

CONTACT:
MARY DIXON: (1-347-840-1242; mdixon@wcs.org)
STEPHEN SAUTNER: (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org)
Media Note: To learn more about WCS’s efforts save Africa’s elephants, visit: 96 elephants

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit www.wcs.org.