Madrid - One of Africa's best-known lions has been killed by a hunter, who apparently used a bow and arrow to shoot it, followed it until it died and then removed its head as a trophy.
Cecil, a black-maned lion who was among the most-famous big cats at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, survived for two days before succumbing to his injuries.
The hunter has not been identified, but Spanish media reported on Sunday that a wealthy Spaniard offered the park's gamekeepers a €50 000 (£36 000) bribe before luring Cecil out of the park.
The hunter then tracked the lion until it died and could be skinned and its head cut off.
A separate report on Sunday night suggested that the hunter may have been an American.
Taxidermists in Zimbabwe have been asked to be on the lookout, but authorities believe the head may already have been spirited out of the country.
Johnny Rodrigues, the president of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, said that 13-year-old Cecil had suffered a “horrendous death” in the name of supposed sport.
“Cecil was attracted to an area outside the Zimbabwean reserve with... bait, and a Spanish hunter shot him with a bow and arrow,” he added.
“I followed him and reached him two days later. [The lion was found] skinned and with his head cut off.”
Park authorities said that the ranger who accepted the bribe had been identified.
It is also believed that Cecil's collar, which was fitted with a satellite tracking system, was removed. As Cecil was killed outside the reserve, it was not illegal to hunt him.
However, the Zimbabwean government insisted that the lion lived on the reserve and therefore came under its protection.
Cecil was one of the main attractions at the Hwange park. “We are shocked and appalled by this loss,” Rodrigues said.
Beks Ndlovo, the chief executive of African Bush Camps, a private safari company in Zimbabwe, called for the hunting of all lions to be stopped. “In my personal capacity... I strongly object and vehemently disagree with the legalising and practice of hunting lions in any given area,” he added.
“I will personally be encouraging Zimbabwe Parks [and Wildlife Management Authority] and engaging with government officials to stop the killing of lions, and with immediate effect.”
undefinedWhile officials try to identify the hunter, concern at the park has now switched to Cecil's pride, particularly his cubs, which rangers now fear could be in danger.
There were three females in the pride and Cecil had fathered several cubs. Lionesses will ordinarily attempt to find new mates, but males will often try to kill the offspring of a rival male lion.
“We have not only lost Cecil, but we have to give up for dead his six cubs,” said Rodrigues.
Despite an international outcry, big-game hunting in Africa is still popular.
Earlier this year, Corey Knowlton, a Texan, paid £225 000 to hunt a rare black rhino in Namibia after winning an auction.
He shot one with a high-powered rifle after a three-day hunt, and said that it was done “in the most scientific way that it can possibly happen”.
More controversially, three years ago, it emerged that the then Spanish king, Juan Carlos, had been on an elephant hunt in Botswana. The story became known only when the monarch suffered a fall, which led to newspapers printing a picture of him standing in front of the dead elephant.
While some Spaniards were shocked that an elephant was killed, most were angry that the king had been on a big-game hunt in the middle of a recession.
The hunt would ordinarily have cost more than £5 500 a week, although it is not clear whether Juan Carlos actually paid for the trip.
The controversy is thought to have contributed to his decision to abdicate last year in favour of his son, Felipe.
The Independent