Zimbabwe

The killing of the popular lion by an American hunter, which triggered outrage far beyond Zimbabwe's borders, has strengthened resolve here to enforce hunting regulations, but there's no talk of fencing the huge reserve or an outright ban on hunting.

President Robert Mugabe said this week in a major speech that Zimbabweans failed to protect Cecil. He also criticized "vandals who come from all over" to steal the African country's resources.

The Zimbabwe government said Sunday that Dr. Jan Seski of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, used a bow and arrow in April to kill a lion without approval, on land where such hunting was not allowed.

But in a statement issued by his attorney, Seski said he had engaged in a "lawfully permitted hunt" and that it happened in July, not April, as Zimbabwe officials had said.

The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority released a photograph of the lion named Jericho that it said was taken Sunday morning.

A statement from the authority said Jericho "is still alive and being monitored" by Brent Stapelkamp, who is following Jericho's movements with the help of a satellite collar on the lion.

The Facebook page of a group called the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Saturday that Jericho was killed.

Conservationists decided the most natural thing was to leave the bones where they were for hyenas to finish off, said Brent Stapelkamp, a lion researcher and part of a team that had tracked and studied Cecil for nine years.

In the Zimbabwean government's first official comment on the killing of Cecil the lion, the environment, water and climate minister lashed out at Walter James Palmer, accusing him even of trying to hurt Zimbabwe's image.

"Unfortunately it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin," Oppah Muchinguri told a news conference. "We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable."

Zimbabwe will go ahead with their third and final one-day international against Pakistan on Sunday at the Gaddafi Stadium despite security concerns after a suicide bomber blew himself up close to the stadium on Friday night during the second ODI.

"The incident hasn't affected the tour and Zimbabwe will play its last match of the tour as planned," PCB spokesman Agha Akbar told The Associated Press on Saturday.