Killing of lion: Zimbabwe wants dentist extradited

She also said she was pleased that almost 500,000 people had called for the extradition of Palmer on Facebook. Palmer has kept a low profile, but on Friday U.S. federal wildlife authorities said they have been contacted by a representative of the Minnesota dentist.

And the landowner also broke the law because he “allowed a hunt to be conducted without a quota and necessary permit”, Mr Muchinguri said.

The moving images were a first for the Empire State Building, which is normally lit with colors and the occasional light show. Stapelkamp said he did not have details on the latest alleged lion kill.

Police arrested a Zimbabwean land owner in the case of a lion that was killed in April in the same area where Cecil was fatally shot, said Geoffrey Matipano, conservation director for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The killing of Cecil gained global attention as the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday aimed at combatting illegal wildlife trafficking and poaching, the culmination of a two-year campaign led by Gabon and Germany.

By Friday evening, though, officials in Zimbabwe formally asked the U.S. government to extradite the dentist to face charges of poaching and illegal hunting. “This is the case for a lot of trophies that are taken”, She says.

Zimbabwe wants to try Palmer “for the offences he committed…so that he be held accountable for this illegal action”, Zimbabwean environment and wildlife minister Oppah Muchinguri said on Friday.

But I’m a lot less sure that it’s just, or fair, or targeted to trash Palmer’s business before the legal system has an opportunity to do its work; Palmer’s only been identified for a couple of days, and the fact that he’s not in the clink in Zimbabwe is not actually proof of some sort of comprehensive failure.

The said it does not comment on extradition requests. He said that he paid $50,000 for what he was told was a legal permit to bag a lion.

“We are trying other avenues”, said Richard Chibuwe, the deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Washington.

Muchinguri accused Palmer of “a well-orchestrated agenda which might tarnish the picture of Zimbabwe and additional pressure the connection between Zimbabwe and the USA”. Two U.S. philanthropists, Tom Kaplan and his wife, Daphne Recanati Kaplan, have pledged to match any further donations, up to $100,000, it added.

Palmer, a lifelong big game hunter, returned to the United States before the authorities were aware of the controversy.

A complete overhaul of the colonial and post-colonial injustices and subsequent flawed laws concerning the governance of the remaining wildlands and the indigenous people must come forward, if the larger picture concerning the sad state of wildlife and nature protection in many countries and human rights of the traditional guardians of pristine nature shall not remain blurred.

Bronkhorst was released on bail after appearing in court in Hwange, about 435 miles west of the capital Harare. The Associated Press has reported that prisoners in Zimbabwe rioted earlier this year because they hadn’t been served meat in three years, and that the food woes were evidence of a debilitating economic downturn that has left the government struggling to meet obligations.

Cecil was considered an iconic attraction for tourists at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.

In an email obtained by WCCO, Palmer wrote a letter to his patients, saying, “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion”.

Palmer could waive extradition or his attorney could contest it, arguing that extradition does not fall under the treaty, Ohlin said.

“We believe the cubs are still out there in the bush”, he said, adding that no rescue missions were planned.