Cecil the lion's story was given a further twist today following conflicting reports his brother Jericho had been shot dead by poachers in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force charity said in a Facebook post it been informed that Cecil's brother had been shot dead at this afternoon in Hwange National Park.
But Brent Stapelkamp, a field researcher with Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit who is monitoring the cat, said that his collar data suggests he is alive and well.
"He looks alive and well to me as far as I can tell," Mr Stapelkamp said.
American dentist Walter Palmer, from Minnesota, sparked outrage around the world when he killed popular 13-year-old Cecil last month.
Since the killing, Zimbabwean wildlife authorities announced that they had suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants in an area favoured by hunters.
Bow and arrow hunts have also been suspended unless they are approved by the National Parks and Wildlife Authority's director.
The death of another lion in April is being investigated after the authority received information this week.
Zimbabwe is seeking Mr Palmer's extradition from the US on illegal hunting charges.
