The aftermath brought about by the cruel death of Africa's iconic Cecil the Lion has taken yet another tragic turn, as one of his cubs was recently killed by another male lion looking to take over the late Cecil's pride.
At the time of his slaying, Cecil was the leader of his pride, which was made up of three lionesses and eight cubs. With Cecil's death, the pride has become a target for other male lions, who are likely to kill all the cubs and mate with the lionesses, according to The New York Post.
The tragic death of the young cub has sparked fears among conservationists and wildlife guides, who state that presently, the cubs only have a five percent chance of survival after several male lions have been spotted prowling near their former den in Hwange National Park.
A source from the Zimbabwe park has described the events that transpired, reports The Mirror. "One of the eight cubs was killed by a male lion after Cecil was killed. Lions practice infanticide - the male looking to take over and mate with the three lionesses would have crushed the cub's skull as he looked to stake his claim," the source said.
"The lionesses fended off his advances but it is unlikely they can continue to protect the cubs for much longer," he added.
Since the incident, the remnants of Cecil's pride have been hiding behind a water pan since abandoning their den at Ngweshla. However, ensuring the survival of the young cubs entails the pride to keep moving.
"Sadly, the cubs are too young to trek over much distance. The females must become nomadic and keep running. The cubs only have a five percent chance of survival. It is a disaster," the source from Zimbabwe park further said.
The pride's survival may lie in the hands of Jericho, Cecil's "brother" and hunting partner that was also feared to be killed by poachers, but was later confirmed to be alive, as reported in this HNGN article.
Jericho had been seen playing with the cubs and protecting the pride after Cecil's death. However, he has since moved on and taken over another pride, where he has been seen with other females.
However, there is a chance that he may return to Cecil's pride, as he may believe that some of the cubs are his own.
Cecil and Jericho were former rivals who eventually formed a unique brotherly bond. They have fought each other in the past, with Cecil even killing Jericho's father when the older lion refused to leave the pride after being bested.
Despite this, however, they eventually formed a coalition and became joint leaders of the pride.
