A well-known lion studied by University of Oxford academics has allegedly been killed by trophy hunters. Blondie, who was believed to be five-years-old and the dominant male in his pride, is thought to have been killed on the week commencing 29 June just outside of Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe.

The killing of a collared lion involved in a research project in Zimbabwe by a trophy hunter has been condemned by wildlife groups, echoing the infamous case of a lion called Cecil whose death at the hands of an American tourist in the same country a decade ago was met with international outrage.

Outrage has erupted after a trophy hunter killed a lion named Blondie who was part of an Oxford University study after allegedly luring it out of a wildlife reserve. Africa Geographic, the safari company that sponsored Blondie’s tracking collar,