Cecil the Lion’s Killer Should Be Extradited: Zimbabwe Minister

The American dentist who killed Cecil the lion a month ago in Zimbabwe had paid for an illegal hunt and should be extradited to the southern African nation to face justice, Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri said yesterday.

The brother of Cecil, the lion killed in Zimbabwe by a wealthy US dentist, has been shot and killed, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force says.

On Friday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is investigating the killing of the lion, said it had been contacted by a representative for Palmer on Thursday. “We want him tried in Zimbabwe because he violated our laws”.

What the U.S. can’t do is determine Palmer’s guilt or innocence, said Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor specializing in global affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. He then proceeded to shoot the majestic creature with a bow and arrow, track it for the next 40 hours, and eventually shoot him with a gun before skinning and beheading him.

Muchinguri said that Palmer, Bronkhorst and the landowner were guilty of illegally “poaching” the lion, which was allegedly lured out of the national park with an elephant carcass.

The club, which promotes big-game hunting worldwide, issued a statement late Wednesday saying memberships for Walter Palmer and his guide in Zimbabwe, Theo Bronkhorst, will be on hiatus until investigations are complete.

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. “We ask Dr Palmer or his rep to contact USFWS immediately”, the US Fish and Wildlife Service wrote in a Twitter post. “Zimbabwe authorities now actively seeking Palmer in connection with this incident”, according to the White House petition. Palmer’s use of a crossbow and arrow to hunt Cecil violated Zimbabwe hunting regulations, according to reports. Courts in Zimbabwe consider a fine first for lion poachers before imposing a jail term, he said. By paying $50,000 for killing the lion, he also financed an illegal hunt. We may also close comments on articles which are being targeted for abuse.

Palmer’s dental practice in Minnesota has been the scene of protests against Cecil’s death, with crowds leaving toys of lions, tigers and monkeys outside the building.

Cecil’s skin and head were to be sent to taxidermist before being exported to the US for mounting but he had been advised to hand it in to authorities instead, the guide said. “We believe in what would be an ethical hunt”, Pinizzotto said.