The Sunday Mail
Sharon Munjenjema
Two years after Cecil the lion was killed by an unlicensed American hunter, one of his cubs — Xanda — has also met his fate at the wrong end of a rifle, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has confirmed.
Xanda was killed a few weeks ago in Ngamo Forest in a hunt ZimParks said was above board, even as local and international conservationists expressed outrage.
ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo told The Sunday Mail: “We can confirm a lion, identified as Cecil’s son by Hwange National Park, was hunted and killed.
‘‘It is unfortunate that the life of a lion was lost, but the hunt was legal.”
Mr Farawo added, “We value both human and animal life; there is need to strike a balance between the two. As Zimparks, we are also in the process of crafting a Statutory Instrument that protects wildlife.”
A study by Lion Encounter says Africa has around 30 000 lions today — an 80 percent decline over 50 years.
The Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Act (Chapter 20:14) stipulates that responsible authorities can issue permits to anyone to hunt wildlife.
Hunting without a permit attracts a jail term not exceeding one year.
