We all know the horrific fate of Cecil the lion. In case you have forgotten, the Cliff Notes version is that this much loved majestic 13-year-old lion was killed this past July by Walter Palmer, the trophy-hunting lion killer. After luring Cecil from his Zimbabwe wildlife refuge, Palmer shot him with a bow and arrow, injuring him, then stalked him for the next 40 hours before finally shooting Cecil and posing proudly for a selfie with the dead lion, as reported previously from HNGN.
But moving forward, Cecil left us with quite a legacy, with both his sons and grand-cubs. Cecil led a pride of six lionesses and 12 cubs, according to The Dodo, and his grand-cubs are growing into incredible little mini Cecils. Look at the pictures of these darling cubs and think about what a supreme heritage they hail from. Cecil was one of the best loved lions that ever waked the plains. A true king of the jungle.
This video of Cecil, taken just last year, shows an animal that is picture perfect for his species. It shows the lion in his heyday, and the awe of those lucky enough to witness him as he sauntered over for a full photo shoot. And that is just what made him so special. He was a showman who loved the attention and adoration.
Let's hope his grown cubs and little grand-cubs carry that gene with them.
"Their mother is a member of the Ngamo Pride who must have mated with Xanda," said Josephine Bestic of Wilderness Safaris. Xanda is one of Cecil's sons. Cecil himself would have been proud.
Seeing that Cecil lives on, through his grand-cubs, will bring smiles and hope to the generations to come - and the hope that they are a more humane generation than the current ones killing defenseless and innocent animals such as Cecil.
Cecil lives on, in our hearts, in our hope and through these little kings waiting to roar!
