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Conflicting reports on the death of Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho on Saturday

Posted at 3:11 PM, Aug 01, 2015
and last updated 2015-08-01 16:51:26-04

ZIMBABWE — CNN is reporting, the brother of slain Cecil the lion, named Jericho, was killed Saturday in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, according to a senior park official. Jericho was gunned down by a hunter operating illegally, said Johnny Rodrigues, head of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.

The Associated Press is reporting the satellite collar on Jericho has been sending normal signals, indicating the lion is alive and moving around, according to researcher Brent Stapelkamp.

Cecil the lion was killed illegally, provoking an international outrage because he was a protected animal, and Zimbabwe is seeking the extradition of American dentist Walter Palmer on accusations that he and others illegally hunted the lion, authorities said.

“It is with huge disgust and sadness that we have just been informed that Jericho, Cecil’s brother has been killed at 4pm today,” Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Saturday on Facebook.

“We are absolutely heart broken,” the Task Force added.

Jericho is considered to be caring for and defending Cecil’s cubs, but the survivability of those cubs wasn’t immediately clear in the aftermath of Jericho’s death.

This story is developing.