5pm UPDATE: There are conflictiby reports on the status of Jericho. At least one published report says that JerI ho is alive and well, but it is not clear which report is accurate.

Original post below:

The tragic story of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe has taken yet another sad turn on Saturday. Park officials in Zimbabwe announced the death of Cecil's brother, Jericho, this afternoon. Jericho was shot by an illegal hunter, according to officials.

"It is with great sadness and regret that we report that Jericho was shot dead at 4pm this afternoon," Johnny Rodrigues the Chairman for the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, said in a statement on Saturday.

Park officials say that Jericho was gunned down by an illegal hunter, but they did not provide any additional details Saturday afternoon.

Cecil the lion was killed in a hunt by American dentist Walter Palmer earlier this month. Outrage reached a peak earlier this week as there were calls for prosecution because the hunt could have been illegal. Palmer issued a statement on Tuesday that said he relied on local guides to ensure that he was participating in a legal hunt.

"I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt," Palmer said in a statement Tuesday.

There were fears earlier this week that Cecil's cubs would be killed by a rival male. After Cecil's death, researched warned that the cubs could be killed by the next lion in the hierarchy, so that lion could father his own offspring with females. However, researchers reported that the cubs were being protected by Jericho on Friday.

 

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