Jericho, Cecil The Lion’s Brother, Is Alive Despite Reports Of His Death

Cecil the Lion’s brother, Jericho is reportedly alive despite reports that he had been killed by a hunter.

Jericho Alive Despite Reports Of His Death

On Sunday, Oxford University confirmed that Jericho was, in fact, alive and well in Zimbabwe – the university is tracking Jericho, just as it was Cecil the Lion before his death.

On Saturday, Aug. 1, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force released a statement claiming that Jericho had been killed less than one month after his brother, Cecil, was shot and killed by an American dentist, Walter J. Palmer, sparking international outrage. Zimbabwe is currently trying to get Walter Palmer extradited after the dentist illegally hunted and killed Cecil the Lion.

“It is with great sadness and regret that we report that Jericho was shot dead at 4 p.m. this afternoon. We have no further details but will advise as soon as we know more,” said Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force chairman Johnny Rodrigues.

Jericho’s death would put Cecil’s cubs’ safety at risk, as Jericho has reportedly been protecting them since his death. “Cecil is dead and now if reports are true, his brother Jericho is dead too. If Jericho was killed then the cubs, who he guarded after Cecil’s killing, are likely to perish,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.

However, Brent Stapelkamp, a researcher at Oxford University, contradicted reports of Jericho’s death, saying that Oxford University had no reason to believe that Jericho had perished, saying that GPS tracking showed no signs of death or distress. “he looked alive and well to me as far as I can tell,” Staplekamp told the press late Saturday.

On Sunday, Oxford University confirmed Jericho’s wellbeing on Twitter, sharing a photo of the lion and writing that Jericho was “alive and well.”

Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force retracted their original statements, writing on Facebook, “We apologize for reporting that he had died but were confident that our sources were correct.”