Prince William visits Asian elephant park in SW China

Updated: 2015-03-04 14:28

By Liu Wenwen(chinadaily.com.cn)

Britain's Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, feeds Ranran a carrot at the Wild Elephant Valley in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, on Wednesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Prince William visited a sanctuary for Asian elephants in Yunnan province to highlight wildlife protection.

Yunnan was the last stop on the Duke of Cambridge's three-day visit to China. The second in line to the British throne had visited Beijing and Shanghai before arriving in the Southwest China province.

William arrived at Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, on Wednesday morning and visited the Wild Elephant Valley, a habitat of wild Asian elephants and tourist site in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve.

At the sanctuary, the prince fed a carrot to Ranran, an elephant that had been found injured in a trap in July 2005. Authorities of Xishuangbanna formed a team of 81 people to rescue it. The sanctuary also has rescued three other wild elephants.

The rain forest in Xishuangbanna is a habitat for endangered Asian elephants. The species has the highest level of protection in China because its existence has been threatened by poaching.

Liu Wenwen contributed to this report.