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

Zimbabwe is looking to extradite Walter Palmer, a US dentist who allegedly paid $50,000 (€45,000) to kill Cecil.

In this image takem from a November 2012 video made available by Paula French, a well-known, protected lion known as Cecil strolls around in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe.

Animal conservationists had earlier reported that Jericho had taken over the pride and was safe guarding his brother Cecil’s cubs.

“We are absolutely heart broken”, the statement said.

“We will update you all as soon as we have more details”. Walter’s rep said in a statement this week that he “voluntarily” reached out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement on Thursday.

As mentioned by the Washington Post, trophy hunters and poachers kill more than 600 lions in Africa a year.

Protesters outside Palmer’s office in Minnesota.

The lion was killed in a park in Zimbabwe at about 4pm local time this afternoon. Cecil’s death and the ensuing investigation into his hunting party has sparked an worldwide outrage.

The money was received by WildCRU, a conservation unit within the Department of Zoology, which has satellite-tracked the famous lion’s movements since 2008.

Palmer has said he will cooperate with authorities.