A Spanish hunter allegedly paid a park ranger £36,000 to kill one of Africa's most famous lions. Cecil, who was about 13-years-old, was lured out of Zimbabwe's biggest national park and then shot with a bow and arrow.
Only wounding the lion, the hunter then spent two days tracking the animal before killing it with a rifle. The corpse was then skinned and the head hacked off as a trophy.
The ranger accused of accepting the £36,000 (50,000 Euros) bribe, has been identified, the Times reported.
The gamekeeper was said to have been paid to encourage Cecil to stray over Hwange National Park's boundaries, enabling the hunter to shoot him without fear of prosecution.
'Cecil was attracted to an area outside the Zimbabwean reserve with... bait, and a Spanish hunter shot him with a bow and arrow, ' Johnny Rodrigues the president of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force told the Times.
The death of Cecil has left conservators deeply worried for the safety of several lion cubs, who are now living unprotected in the park.
Loved: The 13-year-old lion was well known in the park and was often seen wandering near tourists
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