Prince William took to social media on Wednesday to post a personal message following the killing of South African ranger Anton Mzimba.
Shared on Twitter, the Prince's heartfelt message read: "I'm deeply saddened to learn of the killing of Anton Mzimba who I spoke to in November.
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"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, who worked at the Timbavati Private Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in northeast South Africa, was shot and killed outside his home on Tuesday night.
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A passionate advocate for animal conservation, he features prominently in the 2022 documentary Rhino Man, which focuses on the dangers and threats faced by rangers in the African country.
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Prince William has been involved in efforts to save endangered species from poachers for several years and in 2018, visited the continent as part of his role as patron of the Royal African Society.
© Photo: TwitterThe Prince shared a personal message on social media
In a speech ahead of his visit, the Prince said: "I first fell in love with Africa when I spent time in Kenya, Botswana and Tanzania as a teenager. I was captivated and have been hankering to get back as often as possible ever since.
"That is why, when you kindly asked me to become the patron of the Royal African Society last year, it was a pretty easy offer to accept…"
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal is passionate about efforts to stop the illegal wildlife trade
William went on: “Like so many others, I am deeply saddened by the numbers of elephant, rhino and pangolin who have been illegally slaughtered for their tusks, horns and scales. But the illegal wildlife trade also has a devastating human impact. Too many brave rangers are tragically killed each year by poachers.
"Communities see their tourist livelihoods threatened. This is why I am committed to doing what I can to help end this terrible, global crime."
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