By Pete Thomas
A guide who was involved in the controversial Cecil the Lion trophy hunt last year has been arrested in Zimbabwe and charged with illegally killing a roan antelope.
Headman Sibanda, 56, was arrested Thursday after authorities received a tip about his alleged involvement in poaching an endangered roan antelope.
According to Times Live, killing a roan antelope in Zimbabwe carries a maximum sentence of nine years in prison. Sibanda was jailed, but planned to apply for bail.
The roan antelope is found mostly in savannas in West and Central Africa. It has become regionally extinct in two African countries, according to the African Wildlife Foundation, which cites poaching and loss of habitat is key threats to the species.
Cecil the Lion, a favorite among tourists in Hwange National Park, was killed outside the park by an American dentist in July 2015, sparking international outrage.
The hunting party was said to have lured Cecil beyond park boundaries with an animal carcass tied to the bumper of a truck.
The 13-yea-old lion, who was GPS collared and part of a research project, was shot with a crossbow and stalked for 40 hours before being finished off with a rifle.
According to Times Live, Sibanda sold the permit used by a Zimbabwe safari company to host Palmer's trophy hunt.
After a long investigation, authorities announced that they would not charge the hunter, Walter Palmer of Minnesota, because he had acquired proper paperwork and the legal authority to hunt on private land.
Because of the fierce controversy in the weeks following the hunt, Palmer was forced into hiding because of threats and protests.
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