Cecil the lion researcher: Ban lion-hunting completely

The researcher who studied Cecil the lion for most of his life has said lion-hunting should be banned completely.

Brent Stapelkamp said that at Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park where Cecil lived, no amount of money could justify losing such a rare animal.

"My personal feeling is lion-hunting just shouldn’t exist," he said.

"They're too rare. They're too sensitive to the (disappearance) of a pride male. The repercussions felt after that hunt far exceed anything in any other species."

However, Stapelkamp does not rule out the killing of other big game species for sport.

Cecil was shot dead by US dentist Walter Palmer, sparking global fury. There are reports that one of his cubs has been killed by a rival male, and that the remaining cubs may only have days to live.

Cubs of a dead male are often killed by the next lion in the pride hierarchy.

It initially seemed that Cecil's cubs were being looked after by his brother Jericho, but Jericho now seems to have abandoned them.