Research Cheetah 'Legolas' Found Dead In Botswana

After the much talked-about killing of Zimbabwe's Cecil the Lion, another research cat -- a male cheetah named Legolas was shot and killed by alleged poachers in Botswana.

According to the Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Legolas' carcass was found beside a highway lying next to a shotgun cartridge.

Four-year-old Legolas, who was named after a character in "Lord of the Rings", was sporting a collar for a study that would eventually define the cheetahs' collaborative hunting techniques. Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals and are often found hunting alone. Since 2014, seven cheetahs were collared to finally discover how these spotted big cats hunt as a group.

"We suspect they were so successful because there were so many of them - the more there are in the coalition, the larger the prey they can bring down and the more there is to eat," CCB education officer Jane Horgan told The Dodo. "Losing one of the members, especially the largest, who may have been instrumental in catching prey, will likely diminish their success in the wild."

Legolas was one of the largest cheetahs ever caught and is among the three collared cheetahs that have been hunted. CCB called the killing of the 68.5kg cheetah as "unnecessary and unprovoked attack," adding, the cheetahs weren't posing as a threat to livestock.

"This is something we deal with on a regular basis," Horgan added. "And we sympathize with the farmers who struggle to live side by side with predators with very little incentives. Legally they are allowed to shoot predators that threaten their livestock."

"Legolas' death appears to have been carried out opportunistically when the perpetrator saw him and his brother crossing the road," Horgan added.

CCB announced the death of Legolas on their Facebook page stating, "Our entire team and those who were lucky enough to have worked and studied this magnificent animal are all in mourning in the wake of this needless attack."

In Botswana, there are about 1,700 wild cheetahs left and only 6,500 worldwide. IUCN's Red list of threatened species considers the population of these wild cats "vulnerable."