In Loving Memory of Cecil

Cecil, a black-maned Southwest African lion and the most studied big cat in Zimbabwe, was killed on July 1, 2015, at the age of thirteen, after being lured out of Hwange National Park and shot by a recreational hunter. His death sparked a global reckoning over trophy hunting. Cecil had been a research subject of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit since 2008, fitted with a GPS tracking collar. He was named by the research team and had become a favorite of safari guides and tourists. With his distinctive black mane and confident gait, Cecil had become, for many visitors, their first vivid encounter with the majesty of an African lion. He was the dominant male of a pride and had recently formed a coalition with another male, Jericho, to protect their territory and cubs. On the night of his death, Cecil was lured out of the park's protected boundaries with bait tied to a vehicle. He was shot with a bow and arrow but was only wounded. He was tracked for approximately forty hours before being killed with a rifle. His head was taken as a trophy. The public response was extraordinary — millions expressed outrage, airlines banned the transport of hunting trophies, and several countries tightened restrictions on trophy imports. Cecil's coalition partner, Jericho, survived and continued to protect the pride's cubs. Oxford's research into Hwange's lion population continues to this day. He was simply a lion doing what lions do — patrolling his territory, protecting his pride, lying in the shade through the heat of the day. But in death, he became a catalyst for a global conversation about what wild animals are worth, and to whom they belong.