A US trophy hunter yesterday denied killing Blondie the Lion – but in a sickening taunt sneered: “If I killed a lion it would be my cover photo.” 

Delvy Workman, 47, was named online after a photograph showed Blondie’s gun-toting assassin kneeling next to his carcass. 

Blondie was lured into the crosshairs last month after chunks of meat were thrown from a truck to tempt him away from the safety of his Zimbabwe game reserve.

Deer farmer Workman, of Ohio, insisted he was not responsible for killing the majestic beast.

But in an online post the big game hunter laughed: “You all know that if I killed a lion it would be my cover photo.” 

In another twisted post, which was accompanied by a photograph of Blondie, he wrote: “Anyone interested in hunting a lion? 

“I have never hunted a lion, but I do know a few outfitters that offer lion hunts. 

“Due to recent events I am going to start helping them book lion hunts. 

“For those of you doubting this post, it is real, let’s kill some lions!!” 

Workman also posted pictures of himself posing next to kills during a hunting trip to Zimbabwe, including a leopard, kudu, impala and zebra. 

He bragged: “One of the most amazing experiences of my life.” 

Tragic Blondie was fitted with a GPS collar by research experts from Oxford University just three months ago. 

They hoped to track him and his pride of 10 cubs and three adult females as part of a long-term study. 

But campaigners say the five-year-old was gunned down by a trophy hunter who shelled out at least £35,000 for the sickening kill. 

His barbaric death has chilling echoes of the slaying of Cecil the Lion in July 2015. 

Cecil was baited away from safety and shot with a bow and arrow by a US trophy hunter who paid £37,500 for the thrill. 

His death sparked global outrage and saw regulations on hunting lions in Zimbabwe tightened. 

But Blondie’s killing raises serious questions over the ongoing blood sport.

Roar Wildlife News said: “Another beloved lion, another shattered pride, another trophy just for someone’s wall. 

“Blondie was a striking lion and one of Hwange’s most recognisable figures and was gunned down in the prime of his life after being lured out from a safe prohibited hunting area.

“The story is hauntingly familiar: a lion protected within the park boundaries, habituated to tourists, trusting, and baited to go beyond those invisible lines for the sake of a thrill. 

“This is not the first time Hwange has been robbed of one of its stars. 

“The world still remembers Cecil, baited and killed, under eerily similar circumstances a decade ago.”

The Sun contacted Workman for comment.

The price of big game kills

African Wildcat $750
Hyena $1,250
Baboon $250
Impala $400
Cape Buffalo $6,000
Blackback Jackal $250
Bushpig $750
Leopard $10,000
Crocodile $6,000
Lion $35,000
Cheetah $5,000
Vervet Monkey $100
Porcupine $350
Elephant Bull – Trophy $18,000
Elephant Bull – Non Trophy $10,000
Elephant- Tuskless $7,500
Giraffe $2,500
Warthog $500
Hippo $6,000
Wildebeest $1,000
Zebra $1,000
*Source: Victoria Falls Safari Services