Cecil the lion was killed for sport just outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe by American hunter, Walter Palmer. Under the supervision of two Zimbabwean guides, Cecil was lured out of the protected area before being shot by Palmer using a crossbow. They reportedly then tracked the wounded lion for 40 hours before he was found and finally killed with a gun. Photographs of Palmer can be found on the web with him posing next to the dead lion.
 
Reportedly paying $50,000 to kill a lion, Walter Palmer from Minnesota USA believed it to be a legal hunt. Since the barbaric act has been published across the world, Palmer has issued a statement stating he regrets killing Cecil, but seeks to justify his actions by stating he was guided under the supervision of Theo Bronchorst, a professional hunter, and Honest Trymore Ndlovu, a local landowner. The two Zimbabweans are currently facing prosecution, which could result in their imprisonment for 10 years.
 
Speaking yesterday, Will Travers OBE, President of Born Free Foundation, expressed his sadness: “The number of lions in Africa may now be as few as 25,000 – down by 50% in the last thirty years. Cecil’s tragic and meaningless destruction may just be the catalyst we need to take action to end lion trophy hunting and, instead, devote all our energies to conserving a species which, perhaps more than any other, represents the wild soul of Africa.”
 
The Born Free Foundation, a member of ENDCAP, will increase its efforts through its EU policy work in Brussels to seek an end to imports of lion trophies into the EU and further, secure the support from the European Parliament and EU Member States to find the means to end trophy hunting of threatened animal species in African nations. Cecil’s death will not be forgotten.