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The son of Cecil - the lion killed by a US dentist two years ago - has been shot dead by hunters in Zimbabwe.

Xanda, aged six with several young cubs, died at the Hwange National Park where his father was also killed.

Cecil was shot by trophy-hunting American dentist Walter Palmer, sparking an international outcry.

The Lions of Hwange National Park shared a Facebook post that said: "Today we heard that a few days ago, Xanda, the son of #CecilTheLion has been shot on a trophy hunt.

"Xanda is still a young father at 6.2 years old and has several young cubs.

(Image: Bert Duplessis/www.fisheaglesafa) (Image: Bert Duplessis/www.fisheaglesafaris.com)

"We can't believe that now, 2 years since Cecil was killed, that his oldest Cub #Xanda has met the same fate.

"When will the Lions of Hwange National Park be left to live out their years as wild born free lions should?"

Xanda's death was discovered because he was wearing an electronic collar, which researchers had fitted in order to monitor his movements, The Telegraph reports.

It was fitted last October and his movements were monitored almost daily.

A professional hunter found the dead lion with the collar and gave it to researchers.

Andrew Loveridge, from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, has a team supplying and fixing collars which monitor the lions in the Hwange National Park.

He told The Telegraph he hoped there would soon be a 5km exclusion zone around the park to prevent hunters accidentally shooting collared lions that go outside the boundary of Hwange National Park.

(Image: REUTERS)

People have expressed their sadness on social media after Xanda's death was announced on Facebook today.

One person simply wrote "no no no no no" expressing her outrage.

Darlayne Steyn commented: "When will we stop taking our wildlife for granted."

Brian Everitt added: "Omg absolutely heartbreaking news."

And Jade Raymond said: "Unbelievably sad and evil."

(Image: AFP)

Cecil was killed after allegedly being lured out of his home in the Hwange National Park with bait before being shot with a bow and arrow and later killed with a gun.

Palmer is said to have paid about £32,000 to hunt the lion.

The dentist was forced to temporarily go into hiding after facing death threats and protests outside his practice in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The brother of Cecil the Lion also died in the Zimbabwean safari park where his sibling was controversially shot by a trophy hunter last year.

The "severely decayed" carcass of Jericho the lion was discovered in October last year.

It apparently died of natural causes in Hwange National Park.

The lion's body was said to have been discovered by Hwange Lion Research researcher Jane Hunt during a routine monitoring of the park's collared lions.

The animal had been tracked for six months previous to its death, according Hwange Park’s Caroline Washaya-Moyo.