Do you remember the story of Cecil, the symbolic lion of Zimbabwe killed by a trophy hunter in 2015? Well, the sad story was repeated, this time it was one of Cecil's sons, Xanda, who paid for it.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himDo you remember the story of Cecil, the lion symbol of Zimbabwe killed by a trophy hunter in 2015? Well the sad story is repeated, this time it was one of Cecil's sons, Xanda, who paid for it.
Researchers at Oxford University who monitor the lion population within Hwange National Park have identified Xanda thanks to the monitoring collar she was carrying. The young man specimen of about 6 years and father of many puppies was Cecil's eldest son and was killed for fun by Richard Cooke, the same professional hunter from Zimbabwe who in 2015 led the hunt that led to the death of another son of Cecil.
It was actually an unidentified client of his who fired. But you know the most absurd thing? It all took place legally! It is indeed possible to kill a lion that is at least 6 years old as long as it is outside the Hwange National Park. In fact, hunting is prohibited only within the reserve, which is a protected area, but animals like Xanda and Cecil are at risk if they wander outside the borders (and often, as in Cecil's case, are lured out with a lure).
The "ethical" hunter returned the collar to the researchers and communicated what had happened. But what about Xanda's puppies now? Dr. Luke Hunter, president and manager of the Panthera group that deals with the conservation of big cats, stated that Xanda's death leaves her puppies vulnerable.
“The role of the male in lion society is to provide security. Male lions protect females and cubs from threats such as those of other aggressive males who may attempt to take over the group. If a foreign male takes over, the first thing he does is kill the cubs to make room for his own offspring. While this process occurs naturally, hunting accelerates it and leads to young and strong males to be prematurely killed in place of the older and weaker males who would have been overtaken by natural mechanisms ”.
Ma the loss of Xanda is also serious for the Oxford conservation program. The lion was in fact monitored through an electronic collar and provided important data to scientists. It is evident that it is necessary to establish at least a neutral zone even outside the boundaries of the park in order to protect the animals as much as possible from the greed of hunters.
On Cecil's story you might also be interested in:
- CECIL, THE LION SYMBOL OF ZIMBABWE KILLED BY A HUNTER (PETITION)
- CECIL: NO CONSEQUENCES FOR WALTER PALMER, THE MAN WHO KILLED THE LION SYMBOL OF ZIMBABWE
- LEONE CECIL: THE DENTIST KILLER IS FREE AND WILL BE BACK TO WORK SOON
One must be disgusted by the practice of trophy hunt involving tourists who pay for professionals to guide them in the hunt for large predators such as lions. It is about a particularly lucrative industry nello Zimbabwe. In most cases, wealthy tourists from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and South Africa pay flowers for money, who can pay up to 65 euros to kill a lion and have their heads and skin delivered comfortably to their homes as a trophy.
Cecil's story shocked the environmental world (and not) by turning the spotlight on the phenomenon of trophy hunting. After 2 years we can say that international mobilization has been of no use given that innocent animals continue to die for an all-human sadistic fun.
Photo: lion.guardians.hwange
