Harare, Zimbabwe
AP
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The murder of a collared lion involved in a research project in Zimbabwe by a trophy hunter reflects the infamous incident of a lion called Cecil, who was condemned by a wildlife group and whose death at the hands of American tourists was filled with international rage a decade ago.
The latest lion known as Blondie was part of the University of Oxford research and wore a research collar sponsored by safari company Africa Geography. Africa’s geographical said Blondie was killed by hunters in June and then stolen from a protected area into a nearby hunting zone before being killed near the country’s flagship Fange National Park.
After the Blondie murder became a new rally cry for people against hunting, a spokesman for Zimbabwean National Parks told The Associated Press Thursday that hunting is legal and hunters have the necessary permissions. In Zimbabwe, up to 100 lions can be hunted per year. Trophy hunters, usually foreign tourists, pay tens of thousands of dollars to kill lions and take their heads and skin as trophies.
Africa’s geographical CEO Simon Espley said that Blondie’s murder would insist that the “ock of ethics” trophy hunter would prescribe him because he was a man of a prime number, wearing a clearly visible research collar. Hunters say they only target aging and non-proliferating lions.
“That Blondie’s famous collar confirmed the harsh reality that the lion is not safe from the trophy hunting gun, as it didn’t prevent him from being offered to his hunting clients,” Espley said.
Hunting lions are violently divided even among conservators. Some say they raise money that can be reverted to conservation if it is properly managed. Others hope that killing wildlife for sports will be banned entirely.
Some African countries, like Kenya, have a ban on commercial hunting, while others, such as Zimbabwe and South Africa, allow that. Botswana lifted the hunting ban six years ago.
Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks Agency, said funding from hunting is important to support African countries’ funding shortages. He defended the hunt and said that it often happens at night. In other words, the Blondie’s collar may not have been visible.
He said there was no information about Blondie being seduced from the park with food – this is usually a dead animal, but “it’s not unethical or illegal for anyone who knows how to hunt. This is the hunt for people.”
“Our rangers were there. All paperwork was in place. The collar is for research purposes, but the animals are not immune to hunting,” Farawo said. He refused to name the Hunter.
Cecil’s murder in 2015 unleashed a furious rage at Minnesota dentist and trophy hunter Walter Palmer, who lured a lion from the same national park in Zimbabwe and shot him with a bow before chasing him for several hours and eventually killing him. Cecil, whose head and skin were cut and photographed for the trophy, was also involved in a research project at Oxford University.
Zimbabwean authorities initially said they were trying to hand over Palmer to the hunt, but that didn’t happen, but the hunting guide who helped him was arrested, but the hunting guide, which was merely accused, was arrested.
A national park agent in Zimbabwe says the country earns around $20 million a year from trophy hunting, with one hunter spending an average of $100,000 per hunt.
Zimbabwe has around 1,500 Wildrion residents, about a third of whom live in the vast Fange National Park. The population of wild lions is estimated to be around 20,000 across Africa. However, their numbers have been reduced due to habitat loss and human conflict. One of Africa’s most iconic species, the lion is currently listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
