Zimbabwe wants Cecil the lion’s killer – Walter Palmer
By Alexandra Heilbron on July 31, 2015 | 8 Comments
Zimbabwe’s environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said earlier today during a news conference that Walter Palmer, 55, the American dentist who killed Cecil the lion (pictured above), is a “foreign poacher.” He also said the hunt Palmer paid for was illegal and is asking the States to extradite the thrill killer to Zimbabwe to face justice.
Muchinguri described Cecil, who was a favorite with foreign tourists to the Hwange National Park because of his black mane, as an “iconic attraction.”
“Unfortunately it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin,” Muchinguri said during the news conference. “We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable.”
The 13-year-old lion was lured out of the sanctuary where he lived by Palmer and two guides, who were dragging the carcass of another animal behind their car. Palmer then shot Cecil with an arrow that wounded, but did not kill him.
They pursued Cecil for 40 hours before Palmer killed him with a gun. That’s when they found out he was wearing a GPS collar, so they cut off his head and skinned him. They tried to destroy the collar but were not successful, allowing authorities to find Cecil’s remains.
Muchinguri said using a bow and arrow to kill a lion was in direct contravention of Zimbabwean hunting regulations. Palmer is pictured at left with a leopard he killed using a crossbow. Director of National Parks and Wildlife Edson Chidziya said that so far none of Cecil’s cubs had been killed by rival male lions, but added that no rescue missions have been planned.
Palmer, who fled the country, is believed to have killed more than 50 big game animals, including polar bears and elephants, and posed with their dead bodies for photos that appear on hunting websites.
Palmer has gone into hiding and his dentistry office, River Bluff Dental, in Bloomington, Michigan has been closed.
However, he wrote a note to his patients saying he would resume his practice “as soon as possible.” People have been leaving stuffed doll animals in front of the building as a memorial for Cecil and protesters were at the building earlier this week (pictured at left).
Under a 1998 treaty between Zimbabwe and the United States, a person can be extradited if they are accused of an offence that carries a sentence of more than a year in prison. Palmer faces up to 10 years in prison in Zimbabwe for the illegal killing of a lion, as well as a mandatory fine of $20,000.
The two Zimbabwean guides who helped Palmer kill Cecil have been arrested and one of them, professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst, was charged this week in court and released on $1,000 bail. He is due back in court on August 5th. ~Alexandra Heilbron
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I hope they find him, extradite him, sentence him to 10 years and then shoot him with an arrow for every animal he’s murdered and then wait 50 hours before putting him out of his misery.
Whatever happens to him will never be enough for all the horrible, needless killing he’s done!
This man should be made to face the consequences for what he has done. Let him be extradited. Maybe other thrill killers will have second thoughts about doing this kind of thing if they see they are not going to get away with these types of actions.
this is terrible. everyone should boycott his clinic so he makes NO more money to kills more animals. what kind of sick person kills endangered animals for fun?
disgusting awful person!!!
I second what Martha says. From today on, everyone should boycott his clinic so he he has no more funds to support his hunting activities.
This guy should be extradited for his crime. He seeks thrill by killing animals now and who knows he will soon find animal killing is not enough for his taste!!!
Certainly this American dentist guy is guilty of killing a wild animal for his own gratification. But why don’t we get even more outraged by the gratuitous violence carried out in Zimbabwe against opposition human beings by the very Zimbabwean government that now feigns outrage at the killing of Cecil the lion? Perhaps human victims are not as trendy as lions? Or are we just inured to the systemic violence going on in Zimbabwe? Let’s get our priorities a little better coordinated.
He should be extradited. This cretin has used his wealth to avoid prosecution in the U.S. In ’08 he was caught lying to Federal Authorities about using the SAME tactic to lure a black bear out of a protected area. He also paid to have a sexual harassment case settled out of court. Pure scum who thinks his wealth lets him do whatever he wants. Total SDBW Syndrome (Small Dick Big Wallet).