Cecil the Lion's legacy, a decade of debate

A decade after the killing of Cecil the lion ignited global outrage and placed Zimbabwe's trophy hunting industry under the spotlight, the country remains at the centre of a complex debate pitting international animal rights activism against local conservation realities.

Cecil, a majestic male lion who lived in Hwange National Park and was part of a long-term Oxford University research project, was killed just outside park boundaries on July 1, 2015, by an American trophy hunter. The event triggered an international media storm and calls for a global ban on trophy hunting.

Now, as the 10-year anniversary of his death is commemorated, international animal rights groups such as the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting and the Born Free Foundation are reigniting efforts to ban the practice altogether, using Cecil's image as a rallying cry.

But in Zimbabwe, where lions still roam free across communal and rural lands, some conservationists and community leaders say the narrative remains disconnected from their lived experiences.

"Because for many of us in Zimbabwe, where lions still roam outside our national parks, Cecil was not a global symbol," said Lungile Sibanda, director of the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE). "He was just one of hundreds of lions that live and sometimes kill in our rural districts."

CAMPFIRE, which allows communities to benefit economically from wildlife through regulated trophy hunting, has been central to Zimbabwe's model of community-based conservation. According to Sibanda, up to 90% of CAMPFIRE's income comes from trophy hunting revenues, which help rural communities manage over 50,000 square kilometres of land for both wildlife and livelihoods.

"This is not a theoretical debate. For us, it's how we sustain our way of life," Sibanda said.

Lions Under Threat

Zimbabwe's lion population faces a multitude of challenges beyond trophy hunting. Poaching, climate change, and trafficking for traditional medicine have all contributed to a significant decline in numbers.

Poachers continue to target lions for their body parts, while climate change has disrupted ecosystems, reducing prey availability and intensifying competition for resources. Retaliatory killings following livestock attacks are also on the rise in communities living near parks.

"I have seen what happens when conservation policies are shaped by people who have never lived with wildlife," Sibanda added. "Campaigns built around animals like Cecil often ignore and actively undermine the people who share their land with lions."

Global Pressure vs. Local Solutions

Amy Dickman, a professor of wildlife conservation at the University of Oxford and long-time researcher in Hwange, echoed concerns that a blanket trophy hunting ban would harm more than it helps.

"Conservation is my life's work, and I know trophy hunting helps protect wildlife and is not making species extinct," Dickman said. "Removing it without offering viable alternatives would expose already underfunded protected areas to increased poaching and habitat loss."

Trophy hunting fees are used to pay for anti-poaching patrols, community development, and habitat management in many Southern African countries, including Zimbabwe.

CAMPFIRE Association board member and chairperson of Hwange Rural District Council, Pascal Mpofu, urged critics to recognise the realities on the ground.

"It's not fair for countries with most of their animals only found in zoos to tell us how to manage our wildlife," Mpofu said. "It doesn't make sense. Conservation cannot be built on sentiment alone."

A Future for Lions?

As Zimbabwe marks ten years since Cecil's death, the challenge remains: how to protect the iconic African lion while also preserving the livelihoods of communities living alongside wildlife.

The country continues to work on initiatives aimed at improving coexistence, such as community education, livestock compensation schemes, and wildlife corridor protections.

Still, conservationists agree that international cooperation, grounded in both ecological science and social equity, is crucial to ensuring lions like Cecil continue to roam Africa's wilderness—without making local people bear the cost alone.