News

Cecil’s cubs – David Macdonald corrects more inaccurate reporting

David Macdonald corrects more inaccurate reporting: We at the WildCRU have been puzzled to read some media accounts that one of the cubs born to the pride dominated by Cecil and Jericho had just now been killed, a report interpreted as evidence of infanticide by incoming males. Certainly, this (mis)information did not come from the WildCRU. The fact is that eight cubs were born into the pride, one of which died of natural causes months ago (and long before Cecil’s death). Some of our followers will remember that a few days ago we also had to correct a very widely reported story that Jericho had been shot illegally (at a time when our fieldteam found him eating happily from a giraffe the pride had killed). Perhaps the lesson is that readers should cautious about reports relating to our study prides, and indeed our work, unless they are confirmed by us – amidst some excellent journalism, which we salute, regrettably there has been some wildly inaccurate reporting. Our fieldteam will be striving for a visual of the pride during the coming week – as always this is difficult and time-consuming work, so we will continue the habit of speaking only when we are sure of our facts.

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