Story highlights Xanda was Cecil the lion's eldest son

6-year-old cub was identified by GPS collar

(CNN) Cecil the lion's 6-year-old son was shot and killed by a big-game trophy hunter in western Zimbabwe earlier this month, according to a source familiar with the hunt.

Xanda had been tracked with a fitted GPS satellite collar since 2015, the same year his father was killed. His death on July 7 was first indicated by a lack of movement data from the collar.

The lion, which was in his prime, had roamed outside the bounds of Hwange National Park and into the Ngamo Forest Area -- land that offers little to no protection for the lions, as game hunters are legally able to shoot for sport there if they possess the right permits.

"He was shot two kilometers from the park boundary in the Ngamo Forest," said Dr. Andrew Loveridge, a research fellow and project leader with Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit who had fitted Xanda's GPS collar. "As researchers, we are saddened at the death of a well-known study animal we have monitored since birth," he added.

According to the source familiar with the hunt, the safari was led by a professional hunter whose client was a Spanish national. The source said the hunt was a legal expedition and that the outfitter had been properly registered.

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