Research overview: Cecil the lion and the Hwange lion project

Cecil was a male lion fitted with a GPS collar as part of a long-term Oxford-led research project in and around Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, whose illegal killing by a trophy hunter in 2015 drew worldwide attention. This overview describes how his collar data, and those of many other study lions, illuminated how prides range, how males move along and beyond protected-area boundaries, and how hunting on reserve edges creates an attractive sink that draws lions out of safety. The research quantified edge effects, territorial dynamics, and the consequences of removing pride males. Beyond the controversy, the overview frames the Hwange project as a major source of lion movement ecology and a case study in how telemetry informs debates over trophy hunting and protected-area design.