Unaware of big cat’s status, U.S. hunter says
• An avid U.S. hunter accused of illegally killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe said Tuesday that he thought everything about his trip was legal and wasn’t aware of the animal’s status “until the end of the hunt.”
Walter Palmer, who has a felony record in the U.S. related to shooting a black bear in Wisconsin, released his statement through a public relations firm after being identified by Zimbabwean authorities as the American involved in the July hunt. They said he is being sought on poaching charges, but Palmer said he hasn’t heard from U.S. or Zimbabwean authorities.
“I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” said Palmer, a dentist who lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie.
According to U.S. court records, Palmer pleaded guilty in 2008 to making false statements to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about a black bear he fatally shot in west- ern Wisconsin. Palmer had a permit to hunt but shot the animal outside the authorized zone in 2006, then tried to pass it off as being killed elsewhere, according to court documents. He was given one year probation and fined nearly US$3,000.
Doug Kelley, Palmer’s attorney in the bear case, was unavailable for immediate comment Tuesday.
Palmer was identified by the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe and police as the American facing poaching charges for the crossbow killing of Cecil, a protected lion.
Local authorities in Zimbabwe allege the 13-year-old lion was lured from a protected area and killed in early July. The first shot, which the authorities say came from Palmer’s crossbow, was not enough to kill the lion. Cecil was tracked for nearly two days before one of the mem- bers of the hunting party killed him with a gun.
Zimbabwean conservationists said the American allegedly paid US$50,000 for the trip.
Ceci l , well known at Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe for his jet black mane, was beheaded, according to officials. His corpse was left to rot in the sun.
The details of the lion’s death have outraged nature enthusiasts and conservationists around the world who are troubled by wealthy big-game hunters who pay tens of thousands of dollars for licences to kill protected animals for trophies and sport.
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat called for an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see whether any U.S. laws were violated.
Palmer’s whereabouts were unknown Tuesday.
Palmer has several hunts on record with the Pope and Young Club, where archers register big game taken in North America for posterity, said Glenn Hisey, the club’s director of records. Hisey said he didn’t have immediate access to records showing the types and number of animals killed by Palmer, but noted that club records involve legal hunts “taken under our rules of fair chase.”
Although African game wouldn’t be eligible, Hisey said he alerted the group’s board that Palmer’s ethics were being called into question. He said Palmer’s domestic records could be jeopardized if he’s found to have done something illegal abroad.
Minnesota Board of Dentistry records show Palmer was the subject of a sexual harassment complaint settled in 2006, with Palmer admitting no wrongdoing and agreeing to pay a former receptionist more than US$127,000.