Cecil the lion's brother Jericho is found ALIVE despite reports he was killed

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Jericho is alive: Report that Cecil the lion's brother had also been killed by poacher is false
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Reports Jericho the lion had also been killed flooded social media overnight
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force reported his alleged death on Facebook
Team from Wildlife Conservation Research Unit saw Jericho alive, 5am GMT
Cecil the lion was shot by American dentist Walter Palmer on July 1
Jericho has reportedly been looking after Cecil's cubs since his death

Published: 03:14 EST, 2 August 2015 | Updated: 09:40 EST, 2 August 2015

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Jericho the lion, which has reportedly been protecting slain Cecil’s cubs since his death, is alive and well, according to a researcher monitoring the pride.

Reports that the animal had also been killed by a poacher flooded social media overnight.

But Brent Stapelkamp, a field researcher for the Hwange Lion Research Project, has confirmed that the GPS-tagged lion appears to be moving around as normal.

A field research team from Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit was able to trace and photograph Jericho early this morning.

Alive and well: Jericho the lion, who has been caring for the cubs of slain lion Cecil, was spotted and photographed early this morning by a field research team from WildCRU

Relief: A researcher has confirmed that Jericho the lion (left) is alive and well, despite reports that he had been killed by a poacher. Cecil the lion (right), a favourite with tourists at the Hwange Lion Research Project, was shot and killed by American trophy Hunter Walter Palmer on July 1

‘When I heard that report, I had a look on the computer and his movements look regular. He sent a GPS point from his collar from 8.06pm (7.06pm GMT). Everything looks fine,’ Stapelkamp said.

The researcher added that Jericho appears to be with a female.

A field research team from the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) went out at dawn to track Jericho and confirm he was alive.

The team confirmed that Jericho was seen alive and well at 6.15am (5.15am GMT).

'Last night we were surprised to see rumours of the death of a second lion, Jericho, circulating in the media - we had no evidence for this,' said WildCRU director Professor David Macdonald in a statement.

Professor Macdonald added: 'Jericho was seen alive and well at 6.15am. He has been feeding on a giraffe kill with the lionesses from his pride.'

The group added that while Jericho is not Cecil's biological brother, the two had developed a bond that was like brotherhood.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, a conservation group, posted on its Facebook page that Jericho had been killed at 4pm on Saturday.

The group said in a statement: 'It is with great sadness and regret that we report that Jericho was shot dead at 4pm this afternoon.

'We are absolutely heartbroken. We have no further details but will advise as soon as we know more.'

Johnny Rodrigues, Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, told MailOnline: 'It was a case of mistaken identity, and we can confirm that it wasn't Jericho that was shot.

'But we have still lost a lion, who was shot by a poacher yesterday.'

Alive and well: This image was posted on Facebook by wildlife photographer Drew Abrahamson, showing the readings from Jericho's GPS-tagged collar

Protective: Jericho (top) has reportedly been protecting Cecil's cubs after he was shot dead by Minnesota dentist, Walter Palmer in July, sparking outrage around the world

Mr Rodrigues added that a man has been arrested for the shooting.

The report of Jericho's death sparked fury on social media sites, where animal lovers had already been expressing their outrage at the killing on July 1 of Cecil, a rare black-maned lion that was a favourite with tourists at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.

Cecil was killed by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer, who is now facing extradition to stand trial for the illegal killing of the lion.

But Cecil’s family is still reported to be at risk following his death.

There have been concerns that Jericho will not be able to hold the territory of Cecil’s cubs alone, and could be chased away by rival lions.

Unprotected, the lionesses and cubs are now under threat and also move away or be killed.

Stapelkamp - who had been studying Cecil for nine years - explained that Cecil arrived at the park as a kind of lion refugee, alone and wandering after being displaced from another territory.

Cecil befriended another male lion, Jericho, and together they grew and watched over two prides, one with three lionesses and seven cubs and another with three lionesses.

Safety worries: Concerns have been raised for the well-being of Cecil's cubs following his death. There are fears that Jericho will not be able to protect the pride's territory on his own

Cecil the Lion seen with his cubs and the rest of his pride

Last week Mr Rodrigues, told MailOnline that Jericho was keeping the cubs safe from any rival males.

The reports of Jericho's death came the same day the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority announced a crackdown on hunting around the park with Jericho was killed.

Palmer has admitted killing the 13-year-old predator Cecil, who was fitted with a GPS collar as part of the Oxford University study.

He allegedly paid $55,000 to shoot the animal with a bow and arrow after allegedly luring him away from his habitat with meat.

But he said in a statement he had hired professional guides and believed all the necessary hunting permits were in order.

He has not been sighted since his identity was revealed by Zimbabwean conservationists earlier this week.

Zimbabwe has called for Palmer to be extradited from the United States after accusing him of killing the much-loved animal illegally.

Trophy hunter: Palmer has admitted killing the 13-year-old predator Cecil, who was fitted with a GPS collar as part of the Oxford University study

Facing trial: Zimbabwe has called for Palmer (left) to be extradited from the United States after accusing him of killing the much-loved animal illegally

Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said the dentist should be handed over to Zimbabwean officials to face justice, adding that she understood prosecutors had started the legal process to make that happen.

Referring to the 55-year-old trophy hunter from Minnesota as a 'foreign poacher', she said: 'We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be made accountable for his illegal actions.'

Muchinguri also said Palmer's use of a bow and arrow to kill the lion, who is said to have been lured out of Hwange National Park with bait before being shot, was in contravention of Zimbabwean hunting regulations.

Professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst, a guide for Mr Palmer, insisted he did nothing wrong on the hunt that killed Cecil the lion, telling AFP he was shocked to find the animal was wearing a tracking collar.

'I don't believe I failed in any duties at all, I was engaged by a client to do a hunt for him and we shot an old male lion that I believed was past his breeding age. I don't think that I've done anything wrong,' Bronkhorst said

Protest: This sign was one of many placed in the driveway of Palmer's residence on Marco Island, Florida

Zimbabwe calls for lion killer Walter Palmer to face charges

He said: 'Both I and the client were extremely devastated that this thing had a collar on because at no time did we see a collar on this lion prior to shooting it.

'We were devastated... I left the collar there at the bait site and unfortunately that was stupid of me and negligent of me.'

Bronkhorst was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being charged with 'failing to prevent an illegal hunt' when he led the expedition in early July.

Palmer, a life-long big game hunter, managed to return to the United States before the authorities were aware of the controversy around Cecil's death.

'It was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher because he had already absconded to his country of origin,' Muchinguri said.