SAVING NATURE
Prince Harry watches Brit soldiers and local rangers ‘battle gun-wielding elephant poachers’ as part of demonstration in Malawi
PRINCE Harry watched British and Malawian soldiers put on an anti-poaching exercise on his African tour today.
The Duke of Sussex looked on as local rangers and UK military were put through their paces at Liwonde National Park.
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The royal beamed as he watched the troops practice their vital mission to protect the elephants living in the reserve.
He was seen chatting with men in military fatigues as he shielded himself from the African sun under a baseball cap which he teamed with a pair of dark glasses.
Kalashnikov toting and machete wielding men were seen posing as ivory poachers during the exercise.
The Duke has been a vocal opponent of the Ivory trade for years along with his older brother, William.
He dedicated the park and an adjoining forest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy.
The initiative begun in 2015 as a network of forest conservation programmes throughout the 53 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.
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Earlier Harry paid tribute to a Brit soldier who was trampled to death by elephants while protecting them from poachers.
The Duke of Sussex honoured Guardsman Mathew Talbot, 22, who died during a mission to stop the illegal slaughter of wildlife in Malawi in May this year.
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Mathew, who was from Birmingham, was described as an "exceptionally kind and friendly individual" by those who served alongside him.
In Malawi Mathew was often to be found befriending the locals and learning their language.
He also became good friends with the Gurkhas attached to the team and took time to try and learn Nepali.
Mathew was a keen photographer and documented his time in the military with countless albums of his work.
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Earlier Harry appealed for increased global efforts to protect the environment against human "greed, apathy and selfishness".
He is also set to join an anti-poaching patrol with rangers in Liwonde National Park to highlight their fight against poachers whose activities endanger the survival of elephants, rhinos and other species.
The prince viewed a tree sculpture crafted from recovered poachers' snares and unveiled a plaque dedicating the adjoining Mangochi Forest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy.
Later he will guest-edit the National Geographic magazine's Instagram account to encourage people worldwide to appreciate the ecological importance of trees, Buckingham Palace said.
"Conservation used to be a specialist area, driven by science. But now it is fundamental to our survival and we must overcome greed, apathy and selfishness if we are to make real progress," Harry told the Daily Telegraph.
"This may well sound hippy to some, but we cannot afford to have a 'them or us' mentality. Humans and animals and their habitats fundamentally need to co-exist or within the next 10 years our problems across the globe will become even more unmanageable."
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"Essentially, I am personally driven by the desire to help restore the balance between humans and nature. It is being in Africa that makes me fully understand and appreciate this."
In today's "Looking Up" campaign, Harry will post pictures taken by National Geographic's photographers - including from the Malawi park he is now visiting - to help raise awareness of the vital role trees play in the Earth's eco-system.
He will share a selection of the most beautiful images of trees at the end of the day on @SussexRoyal.
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Tomorrow he will visit a health centre, pharmacy and youth reproductive health outreach programme in Malawi.
Then on Wednesday he will be back with Meghan and Archie in South Africa for a township visit near Johannesburg.
They will also meet Graca Machel, widow of South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, and President Cyril Ramaphosa before departing for London.
Yesterday he visited a school in Malawi and was joined on Skype by his wife who has remained in South Africa with their son.
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Smiling Meghan Markle appears on Skype in classroom as Prince Harry visits Malawi school
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