Cecil the Lion’s son Xanda shot dead by trophy hunters less than two years after a dentist Walter Palmer sparked international outrage by killing his dad
The 2015 killing of Cecil sparked international outrage among conservationists and animal lovers
CECIL the Lion's son has been slaughtered by big game hunters in Zimbabwe - just two years after his father was hunted by a US dentist.
The 2015 killing of Cecil sparked international outrage after Walter Palmer shot the lion while legally hunting in Hwange National Park.
Cecil was not only a local celebrity in the region, but was also being tracked by researchers and conservationists.
Palmer, from Minnesota, infamously paid £45,000 to hunt and kill the majestic big cat - causing fury among conservationists.
Cecil was also father to Jericho, who was reported to have died of natural causes in October last year.
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Today the national park, home to his son Xanda, stated on Facebook: "Today we heard that a few days ago, Xanda, the son of #CecilTheLion has been shot on a trophy hunt by Zimbabwe PH Richard Cooke.
"Xanda is still a young father at 6.2 years old and has several young cubs.
"We can't believe that now, 2 years since Cecil was killed, that his oldest Cub #Xanda has met the same fate. When will the Lions of Hwange National Park be left to live out their years as wild born free lions should...?"
PH Richard Cooke is a well known Zimbabwean company that specialises in hosting trophy hunting tours.
It's believed Xander had wandered outside the boundary of the national park, where hunters with permits and entitled to shoot.
The reported the death was discovered when Cooke found Xanda was wearing a tracking device fitted by researchers from Oxford University.
Andrew Loveridge, from the Department of Zoology, said: "I fitted it last October. It was monitored almost daily and we were aware that Xanda and his pride was spending a lot of time out of the park in the last six months, but there is not much we can do about that.
"Richard Cooke is one of the 'good' guys. He is ethical and he returned the collar and communicated what had happened. His hunt was legal and Xanda was over 6 years old so it is all within the stipulated regulations."
Cooke did not respond to a request for comment from The Sun Online.
In October 2016, we reported how Cecil's "brother" was found dead in Hwange National Park.
Jericho’s lifeless body was found slumped under a tree and it was thought he died of natural causes after he was reportedly frail for weeks.
His body was discovered by researcher Jane Hunt from Hwange Lion Research during a routine monitoring of the local lion population.
Hwange Park’s Caroline Washaya-Moyo told the : “Although Ms Hunt and her team did not see any sign of the cat being shot or snared, the fact that he had such a high profile following the death of Cecil – and perhaps would be coveted by hunters – prompted them to order an investigation into his death."
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