INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Jericho, Brother Of Cecil The Lion, Reportedly Shot By Poachers In Zimbabwe [Updated]

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 07:45 PST, Aug 1, 2015

Editor’s note: The following has been published on the Facebook page of Bhejane Trust and see a further full update from the Inquisitr here. Jericho has been declared alive and well.

“False information being put out about Jericho – brother to Cecil – being shot today. According to Brent Staplekamp at Hwange Lion Research, Jericho was alive and well at 8.30 tonight and moving around Antoinette Estate ( where Cecil was shot) with a female. I can assure you no one is hunting lion on Antoinette after the Cecil incident!!

“This false information probably stems from a current Parks investigation into another lion shot on a nearby farm on 2nd July.”

The original article continues below.

While the global outrage continues, insult has been added to injury as Jericho, brother to Cecil the lion and head of the family after his death, has himself been shot by poachers in the Hwange National Park Saturday.

The Inquisitr noted Friday that Jericho, Cecil the lion’s brother, was taking his responsibilities seriously and was caring for Cecil’s cubs, even while there still was a threat that another male could try to take over the pride and their territory.

Tragically, Johnny Rodrigues, Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, advised in a statement on their Facebook page today, “It is with great sadness and regret that we report that Jericho was shot dead at 4pm this afternoon.”

“We are absolutely heartbroken. We have no further details but will advise as soon as we know more.”

At the time of writing, the news has not yet hit either the Zimbabwean or South African media and was reported by the Daily Mail today. This could now cause a domino-like effect as Cecil’s mate and the young lions in the pride will now be totally unprotected from other male lions in the area.

The New York Daily News also carried a short, breaking news article about the shooting of Jericho by poachers.

Meanwhile as reported by the Inquisitr, Zimbabwean officials are attempting to have Dr. Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed Cecil the lion, extradited to face legal action in that country.

In another article, it was reported that the White House is considering a petition to have the killer of Cecil the lion sent back to Africa after PETA, the animal activists, demand that he be “extradited, charged and preferably hanged.”

The reason for such global anger over the killing of Cecil the lion was that he was a much-loved feature of the Hwange National Park. He was also possibly Africa’s largest lion and wore a GPS collar to track his movements. The lion was very relaxed around humans and was the perfect model for videos and safari photography, making him popular with safari tourists.

Palmer insists that he thought the hunt was completely legal, blaming it on his guides. However, it must be noted Cecil the lion had been lured away from the protection of the reserve by tying meat to the back of the jeep, which is not standard practice on a hunting safari.

Once on private land, he was shot by Palmer with a bow and arrow. Cecil the lion then got away from the group, and it took almost two days to track him down and finish him off. Palmer then had the lion decapitated and skinned, and at least one of the party attempted to destroy the GPS collar.

The safari guide and the owner of the private land on which Cecil was killed are both in custody in Zimbabwe.

More news on Jericho will be reported as it comes in. The video below shows Cecil the lion with his pride.

[Image: CC BY-NC 2.0 Vince O’Sullivan]

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