A professional hunter in Zimbabwe has canceled a plan to raffle a lion hunt at a hunters' convention in the United States, following protests from activists.

LionAid, a UK-based charity dedicated to saving lions, trumpeted it as a "victory for conservation!"

Martin Nel said he is scrapping the raffle in which he hoped to sell 100 raffle tickets for $1,500 each in Las Vegas next month. LionAid had expressed shock at the proposal, which focused attention on the heated debate about whether hunting hurts already vulnerable species, or can help them by raising funds for conservation.