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Prince Harry joins the war on Africa's poachers (that's the same Prince Harry who has regularly hunted animals)

The Prince has been criticised for his penchant for hunting water buffalo and wild boar

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith

Monday 10 August 2015 13:58 BST

Prince Harry (Getty Images)

Prince Harry has begun the second stint of his conservation work in South Africa against poachers.

Details have emerged of the Prince’s work with the South African military after he was flown into a camp in the game reserve of Kruger Park, the Mail on Sunday reports.

The Prince has reportedly joined night patrols on Operation Corona since being flown into the area last Wednesday and has already been involved in a shootout against poachers in the vast reserve. One poacher was injured and the patrol group recovered a high-powered rifle and a silencer.

But while the Prince’s efforts have been praised by some, for others, it only served as a reminder of an image of the prince that emerged 18 months ago perched on top of a buffalo he had shot dead during a hunt in 2004.

While the hunt took place 11 years ago when the prince was still a teenager, Prince Harry and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, were also criticised last year after it was revealed they had flown to Spain for a hunting holiday on their godfather the Duke of Westminster’s estate in Cordoba.

They reportedly travelled there to shoot wild boar, stag and partridge - none of which are not endangered or illegal to hunt.

Park staff walk near the carcass of a three-day-old rhinoceros killed by poachers in the southern part of Kruger National Park (Getty Images)

Prince Harry began his three-month period of conservation work in Africa in July after deciding to leave the army after 10 years of service.

His tour of conservation work has seen him travel to Namibia before heading to South Africa to help protect endangered rhinos and elephants from poachers. He will also travel to Tanzania and Botswana.

The most controversial animal killings

Show all 6

1/6The most controversial animal killings

The most controversial animal killings

Cincinnati Zoo worker shots and kills Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla

Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla was shot and killed by a Cincinnati Zoo worker after a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosure and was grabbed and dragged by Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to kill Harambe. A number of primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals in close proximity to humans and the need for better standards of care

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

The most controversial animal killings

Walt Palmer (left), from Minnesota, who killed Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion (pictured here with another lion shot in Africa)

Walter James Palmer has been named by Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force as the shooter of Cecil, a 13-year-old prized lion. He is now wanted by Zimbabwe officials on poaching charges. The lion was protected and the subject of a decade long study by the Wildlife Unit of Oxford University in the UK. He was outfitted with a GPS collar and was killed in Hwange National Park. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said that two men were charged with poaching in connection to Mr Palmer

The most controversial animal killings

Kendall Jones hunting images

Kendall Jones, a 19-year-old Texas Tech university student, has provoked worldwide fury after posting pictures of herself smiling next to animals she hunted, including a lion, rhinoceros, antelope, leopard, elephant, zebra and hippopotamus

The most controversial animal killings

Rebecca Francis hunting images

Rebecca Francis, a huntress who has killed dozens of wild animals has been sent death wishes by furious social media users after a picture showing her lying down next to a dead giraffe was circulated. Rebecca Francis has a website and Facebook page dedicated to the animals she has killed in hunts across Africa and America. Francis, a prolific hunter who has also co-hosted the television show Eye of the Hunter, regularly posts pictures of herself posing next to dead bears, giraffes, buffaloes and zebras, among other animals. She uses a bow and arrow to kill her prey

The most controversial animal killings

The slaughter of Marius, an 18-month-old healthy giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen Zoo made the controversial decision to euthanise a healthy giraffe named Marius, which was later dissected and fed to lions as visitors watched. The slaughter sparked a furious backlash from social media users and zoo staff have received death threats by phone and email. Soon after the incident, Copenhagen Zoo faced an international outcry once again after four healthy lions were put down

The most controversial animal killings

Swiss Dählhölzli zoo kills healthy brown bear cub

A Switzerland zoo faced heavy criticism from animal rights groups, after keepers put down a healthy brown bear cub to spare it from being bullied by its dominant male father. The 360 kg male bear Misha had already killed one of his 11-week old cubs in public and was bullying the second, staff at the zoo said, because he was jealous of the attention the cubs were receiving from their mother, Masha. Both adult brown bears had been donated to Bern’s Dählhölzli zoo in 2009. Campaigners condemned staff there for not separating the cubs, who are being referred to as Baby Bear Two and Baby Bear Three, and their mother from Misha after their birth in January

Facebook

The news of the tour came days before Prince William and his father Prince Charles issued an appeal for the public to join them in the fight for the protection of endangered animals against poachers.

He told The Sun at the time: “It made me feel sick. This is right at the heart of the problem we are looking at in this government.

“It’s the whole attitude of the privileged classes – you can rescue rhinos and elephants in Africa but kill anything you want if you’re rich.”

The debate of hunting for sport has been reignited in the past month after Cecil the Lion was lured away from conservation grounds in Zimbabwe and shot by an American hunter, who claims he believed the hunt was legal.

Cecil the lion was something of a national treasure, known for his distinctive black mane, and was a local attraction.

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