A global wildlife charity has expressed anger at the killing of Xanda‚ the son of Cecil the lion‚ whose death sparked widespread outrage two years ago.
“Another trophy hunting horror story from Zimbabwe. I am not alone‚ I am sure‚ in being utterly disgusted that Cecil the lion’s six-year-old son‚ Xanda (himself the father of cubs)‚ has now also become a victim of this obscene pastime‚” said Virginia McKenna‚ co-founder of the Born Free Foundation‚ in a statement.
“It doesn’t matter that it was technically legal - please can the authorities act now. There are less than 20‚000 lions left in the whole of Africa. When they are gone‚ what next?”
Reports said Xanda had suffered the same fate as his dad Cecil‚ who was killed by an American dentist in Zimbabwe in 2015‚ to the horror of animal lovers worldwide.
The BBC quoted reports saying that Xanda died near the Hwange National park in the north of Zimbabwe.
The young lion had been tagged with an electronic device by UK researchers.
BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding said Xanda’s age had meant that he was old enough to be target by hunters‚ who pay large sums to kill these animals.
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