Those saddened by Zimbabwe’s recent loss might find some solace in a recent report from Oxford University, which confirms that Cecil the Lion’s brother Jericho is doing just fine, and is helping to raise his brother’s orphaned cubs. This is a huge relief, as it came after confusing and conflicting statements from Zimbabwe that Jericho had been killed by another American hunter.
Conflicting Reports
The report from Oxford confirming both Jericho and Cecil’s cubs to be alive and well is welcome news, but contradictory to what we’ve been told in the last few days. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force posted a statement on Facebook yesterday reporting the death of Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho: “It is with huge disgust and sadness that we have just been informed that Jericho, Cecil’s brother has been killed at 4pm today,” generating an understandably furious online reaction from those already maddened by Cecil’s death. However, researchers who have been tracking Jericho using GPS technology have since refuted these statements. “He looks alive and well to me as far as I can tell” says Brent Stapelkamp, a researcher for the Hwange Lion Research Project. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force is yet to comment on why they issued this false report.
Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho is Alive, and Defending Cecil’s Cubs
There is more good news for those following the events regarding the death of Cecil. Not only is Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho still alive, but he has successfully adopted Cecil’s orphaned cubs. This is also shocking news, as many Zimbabwe officials predicted that Cecil’s cubs would be long gone by now. When one male lion passes away, other males gain an opportunity to assert their dominance, typically wiping out the offspring of the deceased. However, recent reports from the Hwange Lion Research Project show that Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho has since taken over Cecil’s role as father, protecting and providing for his brother’s young.
More Good News
Curiously released just a few hours before posting a false report regarding Jericho’s death on Facebook, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority passed new legislation that bans big game hunting both inside and around Hwange National Park, which suspends the hunting of “lions, leopards, and elephants.—once a home to Cecil, and now a safe place for his cubs and brother Jericho too. Bows and arrows—weapons that American dentist Walter Palmer used in his hunt for Cecil—have also been suspended, in honor of Cecil’s passing. For those who wish to help in the fight for tougher and broader protection for Cecil and his brother, as well as all other animals sought by hunters and poachers, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit is accepting donations, with all of the proceeds going to aid conservationist efforts around the world, and has already generated more than $150,000. You can help too, by donating here.
