Cecil the lion’s brother illegally killed by hunters on Saturday

According to reports, Jericho, just like his brother, was illegally shot during a hunt in Huwange National Park. After Cecil was fatally shot by American dentist Walter Palmer, experts feared that Cecil’s cubs would be killed by a rival lion looking to take over the pride, but Jericho had reportedly come to the rescue, protecting Cecil’s cubs.

Jericho had been mentioned in an update by the WCRU unit earlier Saturday, in which Dr. David Macdonald wrote that Jericho, who had previously been mentioned as a potential threat to Cecil’s cubs, was in fact helping to protect them.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force reported Jericho’s death on its Facebook page, telling media outlets that the lion had been killed by hunters.

“It’s so cruel, but I don’t understand the whole fuss, there are so many pressing issues in Zimbabwe – we have water shortages, no electricity and no jobs – yet people are making noise about a lion?” said Eunice Vhunise, a Harare resident.

The brother of slain Cecil the lion, named Jericho, was killed Saturday in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, a senior park official told CNN.

Wildlife authorities said it was necessary to tighten hunting regulations following Cecil’s death, and they hope the incident raises awareness to the country’s regulations.

There is an extradition treaty between Zimbabwe and the United States. Stapelkamp said the satellite collar indicated that the lion was alive and moving around.

Global outrage was unleashed when Cecil, the star of the Hwange National Park, was lured out of the parks boundaries and shot by American dentist Walter Palmer. Environment Minister, Oppah Muchinguri, has called for Mr Palmer, who has not been seen since his identity was revealed, to face justice in Zimbabwe.

Johnny Rodrigues, head of the task force, told CNN that Jericho was “gunned down” by an illegal poacher.

Cecil was a popular tourist draw at the park and was wearing a tracking collar as part of an Oxford University research project. Without these two dominant males to defend the area, even more of Hwange’s lions are in jeopardy.

“I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits”, Palmer said in his statement.

Hunting lions is legal in many countries in Africa where supporters say, if properly regulated, it can generate much needed revenue that can be used on conservation.