Nearly a decade after the heartbreaking killing of Cecil the Lion, it’s happened again. Blondie – a beloved, GPS-collared lion being tracked by Oxford researchers – was lured out of protected territory and shot dead by a trophy hunter. Just like Cecil.
Zimbabwe allows up to 100 lions to be hunted every year, most often by foreign tourists willing to pay thousands for the thrill of killing. His death is another chilling reminder that no lion is safe under the current system.
Sign the petition to demand Zimbabwe finally bans all trophy hunting.
Just like Cecil, Blondie was a national treasure. He was a father, a leader, a symbol of Zimbabwe’s wild beauty.
But he was turned into a target by a wealthy foreign hunter, baited out of safety and into a trap. These lions aren’t being killed for conservation — they’re being killed for ego. For photos. For profit.
Authorities claim Blondie’s death was legal. But according to wildlife advocates, he was too young to be hunted, and baiting a lion out of protected land should never be acceptable.
His pride has now been left leaderless, and his cubs’ lives are in serious jeopardy. All so someone could mount a head on their wall.
If Zimbabwe really meant what it said after Cecil was killed in 2015, it would have put an end to this by now. But nothing has changed. And innocent lions keep dying.
Tell Zimbabwe authorities: trophy hunting isn’t conservation. It’s blood money. Ban it now.
This article by Nicholas Vincent was first published by One Green Planet on 3 September 2025. Lead Image Credit: manatus/ShutterstoImage Credit: Richard Juilliart/Shutterstock.
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