It seems like the legacy of Cecil the Lion is destined to live on, despite the famous lion's unceremonious killing, beheading and skinning at the hands of American dentist and part-time hunter Walter Palmer. Five months after Cecil's death, his son, Xanda, has been seen mating with lionesses in the area, leading scientists to believe that Cecil's grandcubs are set to be born in March 2016, according to Newsweek.
The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, which monitors the activity of the lions in the area, further stated that Cecil probably had more offspring among the Hwange lions during his long life. Xanda, however, is one of the few that can accurately be linked to Cecil's lineage.
David Macdonald, founding director of Oxford University's WildCRU, who has been researching lions in the area since 1999, said that Xanda's mating and the possibility of Cecil's grandcubs being born in March is a great breakthrough for conservation and animal ecology in general, reports Raw Story.
"The real point of this story is not just the pleasure we might all take in thinking of Cecil's lineage continuing, but more especially the illustration of the power of long-term studies in animal ecology. It takes many years to build up a picture of lions' lives, giving us now the capacity to follow the fates of lineages," he said.
The news of the possibility that Cecil would become a grandfather was announced as the Obama administration announced on Monday that it was including lions in Africa under the Endangered Species Act. Such an act would require big game hunters to abide by a stricter set of rules when it comes to trophy hunting, according to The Telegraph.
Conservation groups, though aghast by the killing of Cecil, have said that the iconic lion's death was a "defining moment" in willing official backing for tougher hunting regulations from the government, according to The Telegraph.
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