Two years after Cecil the lion was killed by trophy hunters in Zimbabwe, his 6-year-old son, Xanda, has been slaughtered the same way.
“We can’t believe that now, two years since Cecil was killed, that his oldest cub #Xanda has met the same fate,” Hwange National Park said in a Facebook statement on Thursday, July 20. “When will the lions of Hwange National Park be left to live out their years as wild born free lions should?”
According to The Telegraph, the young lion, who is survived by several young cubs, was found dead still wearing an electronic collar that allowed researchers to track his movements.
“Global condemnation of Cecil the lion’s death didn’t diminish trophy hunters’ thirst for blood,” PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien told Us Weekly in a statement on Thursday. “Majestic wild animals will continue being slaughtered to boost hunters’ egos and perverse sense of ‘fun’ as long as wildlife slayers with something to prove can ship heads, tails, and skins back home. More than 40 airlines have banned shipment of these grisly trophies, and PETA is calling on UPS to join them.”
Cecil, who was 12, was killed by Dr. Walter Palmer in July 2014 after the dentist paid $50,000 to hunt the beloved lion. Palmer lured Cecil — who was being studied by Oxford University at the time — outside a national park, shot him with a crossbow and beheaded him after a 40-hour hunt.
Following outrage over the death of the animal, celebrities were quick to slam the dentist for his actions. “It’s not for food. It’s not the shooting, or tin cans would do. It must just be the thrill of killing,” Ricky Gervais tweeted at the time. “Mental.” Debra Messing added that the incident was “shameful.”
Shortly after the backlash, Palmer issued an apology for the lion’s death. “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” Palmer wrote at the time. “That was never my intention.”
