Legendary lion Blondie killed by trophy hunters, leaving behind ten cubs
Tragically, Blondie the lion was fitted with a GPS collar by research experts from Oxford University just three months ago.
They hoped to track him and his pride of 10 cubs and three adult females as part of a long-term study.
But campaigners say he was coaxed into the crosshairs for a trophy hunter who shelled out at least £35,000 ($A71,780) for the sickening kill.
Blondie was fed chunks of rotting meat from the back of a truck to slowly entice him away from the protection of the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, it has been claimed.
His tragic death has chilling echoes of the slaying of Cecil the Lion in July 2015.
Cecil was baited away from safety and shot with a bow and arrow by a US trophy hunter who paid a reported $US50,000 ($A67,000) for the thrill.
His death sparked global outrage and saw regulations on hunting lions in Zimbabwe tightened.
But Blondie's killing and the blood money paid by hunters is likely to thrust the issue back into the spotlight.
Blondie, who was photographed by awe-struck tourists from all over the world, is said to have been killed at the end of last month.
He was just five-years-old.
A photograph showing the gun-toting trophy hunter kneeling down beside his body was posted online and later removed.
Africa Geographic boss Simon Espley said: 'As the sponsor of Blondie's research collar, we are dismayed and angered by this development.
'That Blondie's prominent collar did not prevent him from being offered to a hunting client, confirms the stark reality that no lion is safe from trophy hunting guns.
'He was a breeding male in his prime, making a mockery of the repeated claims that trophy hunters only target old, non-breeding males.'
LionExpose claims that Blondie was continually baited for possibly up to three or four weeks.
They added that trophy hunters can often stalk a lion for up to two years before landing a fatal blow.
'Hunting sites use social media and scour these sites for photos of lions to advertise to their clients,' they continued.
'So when a lion becomes widely known and famous, a target and a price is put on it.
'It is how all the famous Hwange region lions like Cecil and so many more named lions are dead because trophy hunters wanted them.
'And now you have the latest worldwide name of Blondie to add to those.'
Roar Wildlife News said: 'Another beloved lion, another shattered pride, another trophy just for someone's wall.
'Blondie was a striking lion and one of Hwange's most recognisable figures and was gunned down in the prime of his life after being lured out from a safe prohibited hunting area.
'This is not the first time Hwange has been robbed of one of its stars.
'The world still remembers Cecil, baited and killed, under eerily similar circumstances a decade ago.
'The outrage then was global. Promises were made. Policies were reviewed. Lots of noises were heard. Yet here we are again.
'A living breathing icon like Blondie is no more.'
Trophy hunters shell out tens of thousands to kill big game in Zimbabwe.
One firm's online price list offers lion for the equivalent of $A54,000, zebra at $A1,500, hippo and crocodile at $A9,200, giraffe at $A3,800, leopard at $A15,000, and cheetah at $A7,600).
The fees do not include shipping or taxidermy.
A former game hunter, now retired, paid tribute to Blondie by saying: 'Blondie was a magnificent lion known worldwide as one of the best examples of a lion in Zimbabwe and a trophy hunter to get to shoot him would pay £37,000 to £60,000 ($A75,837 to $A122,979).'
Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit has been campaigning for a three-mile no-kill buffer zone around Hwange.
There are now just 20,000 wild lions left in Africa.
In total, 24 lions have been trophy hunted in Hwange in the last decade alone.
Last night, Mike Blignaut, the co-owner of Victoria Falls Safari Services who allegedly organised the hunt for Blondie, said: 'At this time I cannot comment as I have been advised not to by the Zimbabwe Professional Guides Association.
'But I will say the hunt was legal and conducted ethically.'
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