Hunted Lion Cecil’s Son Also Not Spared by Hunters in Zimbabwe

Xanda, the son of Cecil who was hunted by a dentist from the US.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Bert Duplessis)

Xanda, the son of a lion named Cecil, whose 2015 killing prompted an international outcry, also met the same fate as his father’s.

Conservationists in Zimbabwe say Xanda has also been fatally shot during a hunt.

A group named Friends of Hwange Trust said Thursday on Facebook that 6-year-old Xanda, Cecil's son, was shot on a "legal trophy hunt" several days ago. The group says Xanda, who was wearing a GPS collar installed by researchers, was killed outside the boundary of Hwange National Park.

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Another group named Lions of Hwange National Park says Xanda was killed by a Zimbabwean professional hunter.

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The trophy hunt was reportedly organised by Zimbabwean private hunter Richard Cooke. The names of his clients, who may have paid tens of thousands of dollars, have not been revealed.

Andrew Loveridge who had fitted the GPS tracking collar on Xanda told The Guardian:

Xanda was one of these gorgeous Kalahari lions, with a big mane, big body, beautiful condition - a very, very lovely animal. Personally, I think it is sad that anyone wants to shoot a lion, but there are people who will pay money to do that.

Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer killed Cecil after the lion was allegedly lured outside Hwange park with an animal carcass used as bait. Zimbabwe described the killing as illegal and said it would charge Palmer, but later dropped that plan.

(With inputs from AP)