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GPS-Collared Lion Killed Legally in Zimbabwe Prompts Call for Hunting Reforms
- A legendary lion named Blondie was lured from Hwange National Park and shot dead by a trophy hunter in late June 2025 in Zimbabwe.
- Blondie, under the minimum trophy age of six, was fitted with a GPS collar three months earlier as part of a long-term Oxford University study tracking him and his pride.
- The hunter paid at least £35,000 for the kill, and campaigners say Blondie was baited with rotting meat to lure him out of the protected park, mirroring tactics used in Cecil the Lion's 2015 killing.
- Simon Espley, head of Africa Geographic, expressed frustration over Blondie's death, highlighting that the lion's visible research collar did not protect him, and criticized the trophy hunting practice for falsely claiming to target only older, non-breeding males.
- Blondie's death highlights ongoing threats to Africa's dwindling lion population of about 20,000, and is expected to cause turmoil within his pride and renew calls for stricter hunting regulations.
50 Articles
50 Articles
Beloved lion killed by trophy hunter in ‘harrowing echo’ of Cecil the Lion’s death in 2015
A lion that was being tracked by Oxford University researchers in western Zimbabwe has been killed by a trophy hunter, in what one wildlife campaigner called a ‘harrowing echo’ of Cecil the Lion’s death in 2015
'No lion is safe': Blondie the lion lured from protected research area and killed
A trophy hunter who killed a lion in Zimbabwe that was part of a study has drawn criticism from wildlife advocates. It mirrors another incident in which a research lion named Cecil was killed by an American hunter in the same country, outside of the same national park, a decade ago. That case also led to backlash. Blondie the lion The most recent lion killed, named Blondie, was part of an Oxford University research project and was equipped with …
Trophy hunter kills lion in Zimbabwe that was part of research project, sparking anger
"Blondie" was killed by a hunter in June close to Hwange National Park after being lured out of a protected area and into a nearby hunting zone with the use of bait, Africa Geographic said.
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