Safari Club takes action against hunter after Cecil the lion killing

Zimbabwe prosecutors Thursday are still trying to figure out how to charge one of the suspects in the killing of Cecil the lion by an American dentist that has outraged animal lovers. It has gained over 141,000 signatures which is over the necessary 100,000 in 30 days necessary to require a response from the government.

Palmer had contacted patients earlier this week, saying the controversy over his involvement in the hunt was a surprise since he had “hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits”.

The feline had been fitted with a Global Positioning System collar for a research project by scientists from Oxford University and was one of the oldest and most famous lions in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwean men were accused of aiding Palmer, who reportedly paid $50,000 to track and kill a lion. “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt”, the statement read.

It is not clear when the White House will respond. And, in addition to conducting its own probe, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it is ready to assist Zimbabwe in its investigation.

The American dentist who hunted down the big cat wanted to kill a massive elephant after he shot Cecil, The Telegraph reported.

Minnesota U.S. Representative Betty McCollum has also requested the U.S. Attorney’s Office look into whether Palmer has violated any U.S. laws, she wrote on her Facebook page. “We ask Dr. Palmer or his rep to contact USFWS immediately”, the agency said on Twitter.

According to the newspaper, investigators have come up empty handed after visiting Palmer’s house, stopping by his dental office in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb, calling his telephone numbers and filling his inbox with e-mails.

Zimbabwe is estimated to have between 500 and 1,680 lions, some 80 percent of which live in protected areas. Many people are asking for head and immediate arrest of the dentist. And an interesting addendum to the story shows that Palmer, an avid big-game hunter, has ran afoul of the law before. And so we have ascertained that what happens if a lion is killed – and of course, this can happen naturally or legally or as is apparently the case now, illegally – but if a lion is killed, the law of lion society is such that it means that the male brotherhood or coalition is weakened. Two of Palmer’s local accomplices are already in custody.

LionAid, a conservation group, said Cecil was wounded with a bow and arrow, and not shot dead until 40 hours later.

If convicted, Bronkhorst faces up to 15 years in prison.

Palmer has not been charged in Zimbabwe or the United States at this point. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to making a false statement to U.S. wildlife officials in reference to the location of a black bear killing in Wisconsin.

Palmer hasn’t returned emails from The Associated Press.