Confirmed: Jericho the lion is alive
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Amid conflicting reports that a second lion was killed in Zimbabwe, researchers confirmed that Jericho is alive Sunday.
Brent Stapelkamp, a researcher with the Hwange Lion Research Project, shared a picture of Jericho in his park habitat through Oxford University's Twitter account. A GPS tracking device on the lion was working and sending normal signals, Stapelkamp said Saturday.
A statement by the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force that Jericho was killed fueled anger worldwide over his death Saturday.
"We apologize for reporting that he had died but were confident that our sources were in fact correct," the group posted on Facebook Sunday. "This was a case of mistaken identity, but a lion has in fact been killed...although we are relieved that it was not Jericho, we are not happy that yet another lion has been killed…"
Mistaken Identity - Jericho is in fact alive and well and has adopted Cecil's cubs. We were given 3 separate confirmed...
Posted by ZCTF - Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force on Sunday, August 2, 2015
Saturday's imbroglio follows last week's international outrage over the slaying of Cecil the lion at the hands of American dentist Walter Palmer. Zimbabwe is seeking Palmer's extradition on charges he and others illegally hunted the lion, which was protected.
