Chill of the hunt! Beasts get a break as 2nd US doctor eyed
Zimbabwe halts bloodshed amid new allegation of poaching
Zimbabwe suspended the hunting of all of its wildlife on Sunday as authorities revealed that they had a second wealthy American in their cross hairs for illegally killing a lion.
Dr. Jan Casmir Seski of Pennsylvania is accused of traveling to the African nation in April to hunt big cats in an area of Hwange National Park where the predators are protected, said officials with Zimbabwe’s National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
With the new allegations, the 68 yearold gynecology oncologist joins despised dentist Walter James Palmer in the country’s hunter hall of shame.
Palmer, of Minnesota, is accused of killing Zimbabwe’s most famous lion, Cecil, during an illegal hunt outside Hwange park last month. Zimbabwean authorities have said they will seek his extradition and arrest.
Authorities said that as they continue to investigate the alleged poachers, they are ordering everyone to “stop their hunting activities and withdraw,” Bloomberg News reported.
Authorities claim Seski — an avid biggame hunter with a medical practice in Pittsburgh — paid local guide Headman Sibanda an undisclosed amount to help him track and kill a lion with a bow and arrow in April.
Officials announced Sunday that Sibanda had been arrested and charged in connection with Seski’s hunt. He is currently assisting police with their investigation, the wildlife authority said.
“When hunters come into the country, they fill a document stating their personal details, the amount they have paid for the hunt, the number of animals to be hunted, the species to
be hunted and the area and period where that hunt is supposed to take place,” said Zimbabwe’s National Parks spokeswoman, Caroline Washaya Moyo.
“[Seski] conducted his hunt in an area where lion hunting is outlawed. The landowner who helped him with the hunt also did not have a quota for lion hunting.”
Authorities haven’t said whether they will seek Seski’s extradition.
Attempts to reach the doctor by phone were unsuccessful.
Neighbors told The Associated Press that Seski would walk around with a pistol holstered low on his hip “like a gunslinger.”
He can be seen posing online with several of his African trophy kills, including water buffalo, zebras, elephants and hippos.
In a picture posted to Alaska Bowhunting, a huntingsupply Web site, he can be seen posing next to a downed elephant described as one of six he had killed to date.
“Really nice bull elephant taken by Dr. Jan Seski with one Ashby tipped arrow,” a description reads. “The arrow struck high in the crease, traveled between ribs on the near side, cut completely through the top of the heart, then kept going out the other side, once again, between ribs.”
In another photo, Seski is praised for his bloodthirsty skills after he manages to take down one of the creatures with what’s described as an expert shot.
“Look at the penetration Dr. Seski got with the Ashby broadhead even after going through the elephant’s rib!” a description reads. “Congratulations Dr. Seski!!”
Meanwhile, officials in charge of tracking Cecil the lion’s brother, Jericho, dismissed reports Sunday that he had been killed by an American during an illegal hunt in Hwange park.
In a statement posted online, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said that the erroneous reporting had been a result of mistaken identity and that the big cat was in fact spotted feasting on a giraffe Sunday morning.