Outrage Sparked After Poacher Kills 'Mighty' Lion With A Bow And Arrow

A 'mighty' lion has been killed by a poacher in Zimbabwe in a similar style and location as Cecil back in 2015.

According to the Mirror, Big Game Safaris put out a call for anyone who was game enough to kill an elderly lion described as 'well-known to local tour guides and international tourists visiting the area to catch a glimpse of him'.

It company allegedly wrote: "The mighty Mopane. He is one of the oldest and definitely the most aggressive in our hunting block.

"We border Hwange game reserve and Mopane travels in between the two areas. Do you want the chance to take a big free-roaming lion? Book a hunt with us."

Trophy hunting is legal in Zimbabwe, however it is banned in all national parks.

In order to ensure the willing poacher would be able to satisfy their thirst for blood, the Independent reports the lion had to be lured out of the park with bait.

The poacher then shot Mopane with a bow and arrow and the animal suffered for up to 24 hours before it died.

It's unclear whether a bullet or another arrow was used to put the dying animal out of its misery.

What is clear is the outrage that has followed.

The style of killing was similar to that of the infamous Cecil the lion six years ago. He was also lured out of a game reserve with bait and was shot with a bow and arrow.

Mopane died not too far from where Cecil was also brutally shot.

Humane Society CEO Kitty Block is one of many people who is disgusted that someone would pay big money to kill an innocent wild animal.

"As with Cecil six years ago, the perverse pleasure some people derive from killing iconic animals brought this noble lion's life to a tragic end," she said in a statement.

"Another trophy hunter spending tens of thousands of dollars on a globe-trotting thrill-to-kill escapade shows humanity at its worst. It is shameful that the US has the distinction of being the world's biggest importer of hunting trophies. Enough is enough."

Mopane had formed a coalition with another male lion called Sidhule, who was killed by trophy hunters in 2019.

Before that, they presided over two lionesses and had produced half a dozen offspring.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature has listed lions as 'vulnerable' with just 20,000 left in the wild.

Featured Image Credit: The Hide, Zimbabwe Safari Lodge/Facebook

Topics: Extinct, News, Poaching

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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