Famous lion 'shot dead in cruel £35k plot' as harrowing photos emerge
A "beloved" lion, monitored by the University of Oxford, has been tragically shot dead by heartless trophy hunters who shelled out £35,000 to slay the majestic creature.
Blondie, the five-year-old lion, had been fitted with a GPS collar by researchers from Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit just three months ago to help support conservation.
Experts had planned to track Blondie and his pride of 10 cubs and three adult females as part of long-term research. However, campaigners say the lion was coaxed by trophy hunters who had paid at least £35,000 for the kill. It comes after a man dies after wife runs him over in car park in 'tragic accident'.
Blondie was tragically killed just outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, on June 29. Simon Espley, CEO of safari experts Africa Geographic, which sponsored the collar, said his organisation was "dismayed and angered".
"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 said.
"He was a breeding male in his prime, making a mockery of the ethics that ZPGA [Zimbabwe Professional Guides Association] regularly espouses and the repeated claims that trophy hunters only target old, non-breeding males."
Africa Geographic said the killing will cause "turmoil for the pride, with a high likelihood that incoming rival males will take his youngest cubs".
A sickening photograph shows the trophy hunters kneeling down beside Blondie's body. The beast was just five years old and was the last known descendant of the Somadada pride.
Roar Wildlife News said: "Another beloved lion, another shattered pride, another trophy just for someone's wall.
"Blondie was a striking lion and one of Hwange's most recognisable figures and was gunned down in the prime of his life after being lured out from a safe prohibited hunting area.
"This is not the first time Hwange has been robbed of one of its stars. The world still remembers Cecil, baited and killed, under eerily similar circumstances a decade ago."
"The outrage then was global. Promises were made. Policies were reviewed. Lots of noises were heard. Yet here we are again. A living breathing icon like Blondie is no more."
A former game hunter paid tribute to Blondie by saying: "Blondie was a magnificent lion known worldwide as one of the best examples of a lion in Zimbabwe and a trophy hunter to get to shoot him would pay £37,000 to £60,000."
Mike Blignaut, the co-owner of Victoria Falls Safari Services who allegedly organised the hunt for Blondie, said: "At this time I cannot comment as I have been advised not to by the Zimbabwe Professional Guides Association. But I will say the hunt was legal and conducted ethically."
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