World turns its anger on Cecil the lion’s killer
A Minnesota dentist who has become the target of worldwide outrage for hunting and killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe advised patients to seek care elsewhere, as protesters gathered outside his practice and tens of thousands took to social media to condemn his actions.
Walter J. Palmer, the dentist from Minnesota who shot 13-year-old Cecil the lion with a crossbow half a mile outside Hwange National Park, has not been charged.
Two Zimbabweans involved in the hunt — Honest Ndlovu, who owns the land on which the lion was shot, and professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst — were granted bail at Hwange Magistrates’ Court. If convicted of poaching they could face 15 years in prison. It is believed Cecil was lured outside the park during nightfall July 1.
Palmer’s love of hunting is well documented, with the 55-year- old having shot chamois in Spain, an elephant in Africa, a rare sheep in California, and even a polar bear.
Earlier this week Palmer issued a statement explaining his Zimbabwe hunt. “I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.” he said.
A petition calling for Palmer to be extradited had last night reached 30,000 signatures. The dentist said he would assist the authorities, but had not been contacted by either Zimbabwean or American police. Legal experts said there was no chance of his extradition, despite a treaty being in place.
“For an offence to be extraditable, there must be ‘dual criminality’ — that is, the conduct alleged must be a crime in both countries,” said Professor Fred Morrison from the University of Minnesota.
“In addition, it must be punishable by a year or more in jail in both countries. While poaching is a serious crime in Africa, it is a less serious issue in the U.S.”