Looking back through a photographic archive filled with remarkable animal encounters, one figure rises above the rest, a lion of immense presence, grace, and tragedy. Cecil, the now-famous lion from Hwange National Park, remains one of the most unforgettable subjects I’ve ever photographed.

I first encountered Cecil in 2010 at Back Pans, near Linkwasha. He was mating with a lioness in his pride.  Cecil was a powerful, dignified lone male who held his territory with unwavering confidence. Over a wide expanse of land, he sired several cubs with multiple lionesses and maintained dominance without the support of a coalition. For years, he ruled alone, a true symbol of strength and resilience in the wild. He was magnificent: unscarred, powerful, and perfectly photogenic, whether confronting buffalo, playing with his cubs, or resting as if posing for the cover of a magazine.

But the wild does not stand still. Two younger males moved into the area, and even a lion of Cecil’s stature could not withstand the challenge. I thought that would be the end of his reign. But Cecil surprised us all by forming a coalition with a younger lone male who we knew as Jericho. Together, they settled in Ngweshla, north of his old range. I saw him once more in 2014, mating near Makalolo. Though I never saw him again, his cubs were born in January 2015.

Tragically, in July 2015, Cecil was killed on a commercial trophy hunt by a bow hunter. It is unlikely his death was quick. Regardless, it was undeserved. Cecil should have died naturally, not at the hands of a man.

Killing dominant male lions year after year leaves no space for pride stability. Cubs are killed or abandoned; social systems collapse. Research friends told me that before hunting was banned in Botswana, only sub-adult males were seen in the Linyanti hunting block for over seven years, there were no mature lions, no family structure.

Africa’s lions are in serious decline. And Cecil’s greatest value to Hwange, to Zimbabwe, and to the world, was simply in being alive.

Travelling to these wild and protected landscapes is an act of conservation through tourism. Your journey makes a positive impact, it matters, and it protects what is precious.  Tap into our knowledge to craft your trip so you get to be part of the solution.