Prince William's recent visit to China's only elephant sanctuary reportedly turned into a bit of embarrassing situation, according to new media reports. The British royal was photographed feeding the majestic animals and highlighting the plight of endangered species during his trip to an animal sanctuary in Yunnan Province. However, when he was made aware of the fact that many elephants were forcibly performing for tourists at a nearby spot, the Duke of Cambridge reportedly ignored the question.

When Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent for Sky News, asked Prince William if he was aware of the fact that elephants are being used for tourist entertainment at a “place down the road,” the Prince turned behind to listen to the question but chose to keep quiet on the issue. According to Sky News, some of the elephants at a nearby tourist spot had their “legs shackled” while others were made to wear “giant spectacles” for tourist entertainment. The animals were made to do many acts such as balancing on tiny stools and playing with footballs. The website reports that such “tourist entertainment” act for animals takes place twice a day.

"It is appalling that elephants and many others may be extinct in the wild in our lifetimes, and we seem to be hurtling towards the tragic outcome,” the Prince said in his speech during the visit to wildlife sanctuary, according to the website. The Prince is also a patron of the elephant conservation group Tusk Trust and is often highlighting the issues of illegal animal trade. But various website write that it was quite “embarrassing” situation for Prince, considering the animals were mistreated at a nearby place.

"The extinction of animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins would be an immeasurable loss to the whole of humanity," added the Prince in his speech in China. According to the website, China is an active participant in the illegal animal trade as “tonnes of ivory” is smuggled into the East-Asian country from Africa. Prior to his China trip, the British royal was in Japan, where he met the victims suffering from Tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear tragedies.

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