Conflicting reports emerged on Saturday over the status of Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho, just as Zimbabwe suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants in the area outside where Cecil was killed.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force reported Jericho’s death on its Facebook page, telling media outlets that the lion had been killed by hunters. But Reuters subsequently reported that researchers monitoring Jericho with a GPS tag said he was alive.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.
Also on Saturday, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management authority suspended hunting of big game outside Hwange National Park, according to the Associated Press. Bow and arrow hunts have also been suspended.
“Hunting of lions, leopards and elephants outside of Hwange National Park has been suspended with immediate effect,” Zimbabwe’s wildlife authority said in a statement.
The decision comes after the killing Cecil the lion, a 13-year-old with a black mane beloved by tourists. Cecil’s movements were being tracked by Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Unit. Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer is believed to have killed Cecil on July 1 with a bow and arrow after luring him out of the Hwange National Park, according to the AP. Two Zimbabweans who guided Mr. Palmer have already been arrested in connection with the hunt, and Zimbabwean officials are calling for the extradition of Palmer. The punishment for illegal hunting is several thousand dollars and up to 15 years in prison.
On Saturday, Zimbabwe’s wildlife authority also announced that it is investigating another possible illegal killing of a different lion in April.
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