The pride of Cecil the Lion is now down to six after another one of his cubs was feared to have been killed over the weekend by a rival big cat.
Wildlife guides at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park noticed recently that the cub had been missing from the pack shortly after spotting another lion prowling nearby, according to the Daily Mirror.
Sources told the paper that the rival male, known to locals as Bubesi, has been looking to take over Cecil’s old stomping grounds ever since the Cecil was illegally hunted and killed in July by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer.
“If Bubesi has serious intentions to take over the territory, he will not want the other cubs,” said a Hwange Park official, who requested anonymity.
Experts warn that Cecil’s pride, which was originally made up of eight cubs, is now believed to only have a 5 percent chance of survival.