A lion that was being tracked by Oxford College researchers in western Zimbabwe has been killed by a trophy hunter, in what one wildlife campaigner referred to as a ‘harrowing echo’ of Cecil the Lion’s demise in 2015.
Blondie, a vacationer favourite, was hunted down after being lured and baited out of Gwayi Conservancy, close to Hwange Nationwide Park, in line with the Marketing campaign to Ban Trophy Searching (CBTH), an advocacy group primarily based within the U.Okay.
Whereas lion searching is just not unlawful in Zimbabwe, Blondie’s killing was as a result of he was underneath the nation’s minimal age of 6, in line with Eduardo Gonçalves, the group’s founder.
“Blondie was a father, a frontrunner, a nationwide treasure, not a plaything for a wealthy Westerner with a gun,” Gonçalves stated. “Governments should act now.”
The beloved feline was killed in late June however his demise solely started to garner worldwide consideration within the final week.
Some 10,000 lions have been shot by trophy hunters within the final decade, in line with CBTH, which stated African lion populations have declined by greater than 90% within the final century.
The safari firm Africa Geographic sponsored the GPS collar that was fitted on Blondie.
Africa Geographic’s CEO, Simon Epsley, stated the group was “dismayed and angered” on the killing.
“That Blondie’s outstanding collar didn’t forestall him from being supplied to a searching shopper confirms the stark actuality that no lion is protected from trophy searching weapons,” he stated.
Collars are used to trace the animals, restrict wildlife-human battle and assist conservation.
Zimbabwean regulation permits a most of 100 lions above the age of 6 to be hunted annually within the nation, the place safaris and large recreation searching are necessary sources of revenue.
A spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks Company, the federal government searching regulator, denied that Blondie’s killing had damaged the regulation as a result of he was older than 6.
“This allegation that these individuals are saying the lion was lower than 6 years? We don’t know that. Was there any DNA which was taken to show that the lion was lower than 6 years? The reply is unquestionably no,” Tinashe Farawo instructed NBC Information.
This declare was backed up by Michael Blignaut, co-owner of Victoria Falls Safari Service, the corporate allegedly behind the killing of Blondie.
“Sadly right now I can not remark,” he instructed NBC Information by way of the WhatsApp messaging service. “I wanna guarantee you the hunt was completed ethically and it was authorized.”
The id of the hunter, who presumptively paid hundreds of {dollars} to kill the lion, has not been launched.
However Farawo denied that something unlawful occurred, and stated these kinds of hunts paid for conservation efforts.
Born Free, one other U.Okay.-based advocacy group, has expressed concern for Blondie’s delight, saying the destiny of its three feminine companions and numerous cubs was “severely doubtful.”
In 2015, Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer sparked outrage when he admittedly killed Cecil the Lion after paying $50,000 for the expertise.
On the time, Palmer stated he had the proper permits, labored with native guides, and had no cause to query the legitimacy of the hunt till after it was over.
Zimbabwean authorities charged Theo Bronchorst, an expert hunter who allegedly took Palmer on the hunt, however later dropped them. Cecil was additionally being tracked by researchers on the College of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Analysis Unit.
After the worldwide outrage brought on by Cecil’s killing, Zimbabwean authorities vowed to crack down on trophy searching — however strain teams say it hasn’t labored.
Mark Jones, Born Free’s head of coverage, stated that that little has been realized since Cecil’s demise.
“The actual fact that they lure lions out of nationwide parks means that there are not any lions remaining within the searching areas for them to hunt, reflecting the large injury to lion populations that trophy searching is doing,” Jones stated.
This article by Jackson Peck was first revealed by NBC Information on 1 August 2025. Lead Picture: The lion often known as “Blondie,” seen right here in April 2025, was killed by a trophy hunter in Zimbabwe.Trying to find Spots.
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