Report: Cecil the lion’s son was killed by a hunter

Cecil the lion's son has reportedly been killed by a trophy hunter in Zimbabwe.

Xanda, a 6-year-old, was shot and killed just outside Hwange National Park this week, the Telegraph reports. An Oxford University researcher told the outlet Xanda had been collared and monitored since last October.

The Telegraph says a trophy hunter paid to be taken on the excursion with professional hunter Richard Cooke. And that Cooke, when he saw the collar, brought it to researchers and explained what happened.

"His hunt was legal and Xanda was over 6 years old so it is all within the stipulated regulations," the researcher told the Telegraph.

Xanda's death comes almost exactly two years after Cecil was shot and killed by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer in the same area – an incident that led to angry protests and caused Palmer to go into hiding. Though he wasn't criminally charged, and maintained he was told the hunt was legal.

Xanda had some brothers and sisters – the Chicago Tribune reported Cecil had fathered eight cubs by the time he was 13 years old.

Cecil's brother, Jericho, died in October of 2016, likely of natural causes.