Cecil the lion was killed on July 6 at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe by a foreign hunter who bribed officials with about $55,000 to hunt the famed lion.
Cecil, who was 13 years old and renowned for his black mane, was part of an Oxford University research project and wore a GPS collar, and he was also a major tourist attraction at the national park, according to BBC.
The hunter, who was allegedly from Spain, lured Cecil out of the park with food, shot him with a bow and tracked him for 40 more hours before he shot Cecil with a rifle, said Johnny Rodrigues, head of the Zimabwe Conservation Task Force, according to CNN.
Rodrigues noted that the use of the bow heralded a new trend aimed at avoiding arrest.
"It's more silent. If you want to do anything illegal, that's the way to do it," he told the BBC.
The lion was found decapitated and skinned, however Rodrigues informed the public that the head and skin had been recovered and were being processed as evidence.
A Hwange park ranger was identified as accepting the cash and coercing Cecil to stray outside of the park's borders, according to the Examiner. He has been arrested and a hearing has been set for Aug. 6.
The identity of the hunter remains unknown. Even though Rodrigues confirms that a single Spanish hunter killed Cecil, he says that as many as three hunters may have been involved and none of them have been detained.
Cecil has left behind about six lionesses with whom he mated regularly and about 24 cubs, Rodrigues said.
