South Africa is morning the loss of one of its most famous lions, Cecil a 13 year old male lion. The lion resided in one of Zimbabwe’s national parks and was lured out by a group wishing to kill him for fun.

The cruel act was carried out by a dentist from America who is reported to have paid over £35,000 to shoot and kill the lion. As there were no lions around, the team lured Celic out of the national park (where shooting of lions is not permitted) to the outskirts where he could take his shot.

Africa has come under scrutiny before about allowing the shooting of such animals like lions, but the rules are clear that you are not allowed to kill and animal that is part of a national park. The team that shot the lion then removed his collar before posing for a picture with him.