Xanda, aged six, led a pride of three females with at least seven dependent cubsWildlife researchers from Oxford University have accused Zimbabwe’s big game hunters of lying about the circumstances under which they shot and killed Cecil the lion’s son, Xanda. Xanda, aged six, was shot outside Hwange National Park, a 6,000 square mile reserve on the border with Botswana, by a paying client on a legal hunt with a licensed, professional guide. He had been fitted with a radio collar by researchers from the university. The hunters had said that Xanda was a lone male who had been ousted from his pride so was less likely to breed. They said he had no dependent cubs and had moved out of the park, where hunting is banned, into an adjacent forest reserve where hunters are allowed to shoot one…

Source: The Times July 24, 2017 23:02 UTC