Conservation Group Fears Cecil the Lion's ‘Brother' Killed

The brother of a famed lion that was killed by an American dentist in early July was feared dead after a conservation group said it had been fatally shot.

"It is with huge disgust and sadness that we have just been informed that Jericho, Cecil's brother has been killed" at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. ET), the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said in a statement on Facebook.

But there was a conflicting report from another local wildlife organization that said that Jericho did not appear to be killed. Brent Stapelkamp, with the SATIB Conservation Trust's Hwange Lion Research, said that the creature's GPS was sending a signal and the lion appeared to be alive, according to Reuters.

Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Unit, which studied Cecil, said it was trying to get information about Jericho.

"We are seeking to clarify conflicting reports," an Oxford spokeswoman told NBC News via email.

NBC News has not independently confirmed the killing or that the lions were brothers. The Associated Press previously said that Cecil "befriended" Jericho, and the two lions cared for two prides together.

The announcement follows an international outcry stemming from an American hunter's killing of Cecil, a lion that was allegedly lured out of a national park.

Zimbabwean authorities say the hunt was illegal and are seeking the extradition of Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer.

https://twitter.com/ZCTFOFFICIAL/status/627532836489326593
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