A government statement said a crackdown since Cecil’s killing had led to the arrest of safari organiser Headman Sibanda on allegations of breaching hunting regulations.
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The Zimbabwe National Parks authority also said it was investigating the killing of another lion in April that may have been illegal, and said it only received the information this week. National Parks spokeswoman Caroline Washaya Moyo said Dr Seski’s name had been gathered from a database. The hunter had since left Zimbabwe, but police had recovered the lion’s head and carcass.
Wildlife Conservation Unit of Oxford University director, David Macdonald and his colleagues published a research thesis, titled “Socio-spatial behavior of an African lion population following perturbation by sport hunting”.
According to sources, Cecil The Lion’s brother, Jericho, has been killed by poachers. Rodrigues said he has no idea why the journalist targeted him with the false story.
Cecil had befriended Jericho, Stapelkamp said, and they oversaw two prides, one with three lionesses and seven cubs and another with three lionesses. Zimbabwe authorities are working with the United States government to extradite Walter Palmer back to the African country to face potential charges for the alleged trophy kill.
Theodro Bronkhorst, right, a professional hunter, arrives for his appearance at the magistrates courts in Hwange about 700 kilometres south west of Harare, Wednesday, July 29, 2015.
Officials at Hwange National Park could not be reached for comment Sunday, but the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said Saturday it was suspending all hunts of lions, leopards, and elephants in areas outside the Hwange park.
Dorrington said he had converted his cattle ranch into a game reserve in the 1980s, and that funds from the trophy hunting of antelope were essential to conserving the wildlife population. “The landowner who helped him with the hunt also did not have a quota for lion hunting”. Bows and arrows-weapons that American dentist Walter Palmer used in his hunt for Cecil-have also been suspended, in honor of Cecil’s passing.
Whatever happens in the aftermath of Cecil’s killing, WildCRU will be studying it with the hopes of gleaning some good out of this tragedy. Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe chairman Emmanuel Fundira told the AP “Hunting brings in no less than $40 million a year”.
Brent Stapelkamp, who is following Jericho’s movements in the Hwange National Park with the help of a satellite collar on the lion, posted Sunday on Facebook that the big cat is alive.
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On Saturday, a lion researcher cast doubt on a report of the shooting death of a male lion who was a companion of Cecil.
