Cecil the Lion’s ‘brother’ found dead in the same park where the famous big cat was shot dead by trophy hunter
Walter Palmer, from Minnesota, infamously paid £45,000 to hunt and kill the majestic big cat
THE 'brother' of Cecil the Lion shot by a trophy-hunting American dentist has been found dead in the same safari park where last year’s controversial killing took place.
Jericho's lifeless body was found slumped under a tree and he is thought to have died of natural causes in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. He had been frail for several weeks.
A post mortem will now be carried on the big cat - widely reported to be Cecil's brother - to determine exactly when and how he died.
It will also allow DNA experts to determine whether or not he was Cecil's siblings.
Some locals say he was actually a 'companion' who oversaw two prides with the other lion.
Jericho’s corpse was discovered by researcher Jane Hunt from Hwange Lion Research on Saturday at 5pm during a routine monitoring of the local lion population.
Hwange Park’s Caroline Washaya-Moyo told the : "Although Ms Hunt and her team did not see any sign of the cat being shot or snared, the fact that he had such a high profile following the death of Cecil - and perhaps would be coveted by hunters - prompted them to order an investigation into his death.
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"Samples were taken from the carcass, which was severely decayed and sent for testing."
Jericho’s head was also removed from his body and taken back to Hwange’s main camp for safe keeping as a lion's head is worth a great deal of money to trophy hunters.
The rest of the beast's remains were buried at the site in a deep hole to prevent him being devoured by scavengers.
"The way in which the carcass was positioned when found suggest the lion died while resting at this point," Mrs Wahaya-Moyo said.
Poignant footage of Jericho, who was 12, repeatedly calling for Cecil, following his killing in June last year, was shared hundreds of time on social media as tributes flooded in from all over the world.
Dr Walter Palmer, from Minnesota, paid £45,000 to hunt and shoot the majestic cat, easily recognisable by his black mane and the biggest tourist attraction at the park.
The shamed dentist was forced into hiding for weeks after receiving death threats following the killing.
But it was later revealed the clueless hunter only managed to wound Cecil who then spent a further 11 hours in agony before he was tracked by a professional marksman and put out of his misery.
Cecil’s corpse was then beheaded, skinned and salted, but the ‘trophies’ that Palmer had hoped to ship back to his home were later confiscated by the Zimbabwean authorities.
Jericho was tracked regularly following the death of Cecil amid false reports he too had been killed.
More than 200,000 lions once roamed Africa, today just 25,000 have survived.
Meanwhile the guide who was involved in the controversial Cecil trophy hunt has been arrested in Zimbabwe and charged with illegally killing an antelope.
Headman Sibanda, 56, was arrested Thursday after authorities received a tip about his alleged involvement in poaching an endangered animal.