Prince Charles warns of 'irreversible tragedy' facing rare animals Threatened species include the elephant, whose numbers are being depleted by an estimated 30,000 each year. In South Africa 668 rhinos were poached in 2012 compared to just 13 in 2007, while sharks are being hunted for their fins to make soup for Far East diners and the rosewood tree is being felled in increasing numbers. Conservationists, governments and other agencies have made progress in tackling illegal poaching in recent decades but hunters were now sophisticated international gangs feeding emerging markets in China and Vietnam and as much a threat to a country's stability as its wildlife. The Prince of Wales added: "It is surely unthinkable that these creatures, which have roamed the planet for thousands, if not millions, of years, could disappear completely within a decade, or even less. As a father and a soon-to-be grandfather, I find it inconceivable that our children and grandchildren live in a world bereft of these animals. Humanity is less than humanity without the rest of creation. Their destruction will diminish us all.