A legendary lion that was studied byOxford Universityexperts has been cruelly killed in Zimbabwe Blondie was shot dead by heartless trophy hunters during the week of June 29 outside Hwange National Park, the country’s largest natural reserve The lion was reportedly fed chunks of meat from the back of a truck to bait him away from the park, where poaching is prohibited, and into a hunting area The tragedy came just three months after research experts fitted Blondie with a GPS collar to track him and his pride of 10 cubs and three adult females as part of a long-term study
There are concerns that a professional hunter involved in the hunt was aware that Blondie was collared and that he had dependent cubs Africa Geographic CEO Simon Espley said: ‘As the sponsor of Blondie’s research collar, we are dismayed and angered by this development ‘That Blondie’s prominent collar did not prevent him from being offered to a hunting client, confirms the stark reality that no lion is safe from trophy hunting guns ‘He was a breeding male in his prime, making a mockery of the ethics that ZPGA regularly espouses and the repeated claims that trophy hunters only target old, non-breeding males.’
It has been reported that, two weeks prior to the hunt, the hunter confirmed seeing Blondie with cubs and lionesses
When approached for his side of the story, the hunter declined to comment, other than to say that the hunt was ‘conducted legally, and ethically,’Africa Geographic reports A photograph showing the gun-toting trophy hunter kneeling down beside Blondie’s body was posted online and later removed Blondie was just five years old and was the last known descendant of the Somadada pride, which had previously moved from Hwange into community areas He had since established a stable pride in an area where resident lions have historically been scarce, due in part to conflict with local communities and previous hunting pressure
Strict Zimbabwean hunting regulations stipulate a minimum age of six years for trophy lions, with an emphasis on targeting older, non‑breeding males Blondie fell well below that threshold, making his killing deeply controversial and widely condemned Source: NewZimbabwe
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Source: Newzimbabwe
