The killing of a collared lion involved in a research project in Zimbabwe by a trophy hunter has been condemned by wildlife groups, echoing the infamous case of a lion called Cecil whose death at the hands of an American tourist in the same country a decade ago was met with international outrage.

Blondie was lured out of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park by a trophy hunter and then shot dead. The five-year-old male lion was part of a pride studied by Oxford University scientists. His death has evoked memories of another majestic lion,