Vic Falls Lioness killed by Poachers

 From Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust website:

March 18, 2025

We’ve lost one of Zambezi National Park’s most well-known lions

Above: We are devastated to share that the Hippo Creek female – the dominant female and pride of Zambezi National Park – was killed in a targeted poaching incident. Photo: Suzanne Elliot Smith

Greetings,

We have heartbreaking news. Two weeks ago, we lost the matriarch of the Hippo Creek Pride (pictured above) to a targeted poaching incident. Many of you knew her – the dominant female and pride of Zambezi National Park. If you’ve been on safari here in the past seven years, chances are you’ve encountered this remarkable lioness.

Tragically, the losses don’t end there. Our region has seen a surge in targeted lion poaching. In December, we found the remains of another female from Zambezi National Park. Before that, our colleagues in Hwange also lost lions to targeted poaching. But these are more than just individual losses – when lions are poached, entire prides are disrupted. Cubs are left vulnerable and often killed, males move further afield to cover wider territories, and the risk of human-wildlife conflict increases.

Now, two young females (pictured below with their mother) – just four years old – are left to lead the Hippo Creek Pride. They lack their mother’s experience and roam dangerously close to the city of Victoria Falls.

Sadly, through the loss of these two lionesses, we have also likely lost five cubs. Two cubs belonging to the lioness killed in December have been confirmed dead, and although the three nine-month old cubs (pictured below) of the Hippo Creek female somehow survived the past two weeks, they are malnourished and unlikely to survive.