Cecil's Brother Jericho Still Alive

Jericho was rumored to have been killed Saturday afternoon.

Cecil the Lion was killed by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer on July 1, and the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) announced Sunday that his brother, Jericho, is still alive after he too was feared dead.

A statement received by The Hollywood Reporter from the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force chairman said: "I would like to sincerely apologize for my last report where I stated that Jericho had been killed. I have now discovered that he is alive and well. The cubs are also doing well."


The ZCTF announced in a statement that Jericho was shot dead at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. "It is with huge disgust and sadness that we have just been informed that Jericho, Cecil's brother has been killed at 4pm today. We are absolutely heart broken. We will update you all as soon as we have more details," the force wrote on its Facebook page.

No further details could be provided at the time.

Later Saturday afternoon, a field researchertold Reuters that despite reports from the ZCTF, Jericho is not dead. "He looks alive and well to me as far as I can tell," saidBrent Stapelkamp, field researcher for the Hwange Lion Research Project, who is monitoring the pride.

Stapelkamp told Reuters that readings from Jericho's GPS tag indicated that the lion's movements appeared normal. "When I heard that report, I had a look on the computer and his movements look regular. He sent a GPS point from his collar from 8:06 p.m. (02:06 p.m. EDT). Everything looks fine," he told Reuters.


Source: Hollywood Reporter