Zimbabwe Official Calls For Extradition Of American Lion Hunter Walter Palmer

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

“I have already consulted with the authorities within the police force who are responsible for arresting the criminal”.

Palmer, who is also being investigated by the US government over Cecil’s death, has apologised and said he was misled by professional guide Theo Bronkhorst.

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.

‘That was taken with the client’s camera, so I don’t have access to it, ‘ Bronkhorst said.

Zimbabwe announced Friday that it would seek the extradition of American dentist Walter Palmer to hold him “accountable” for killing a famous lion, Cecil.

Zimbabwe’s environmental minister says the nation has started the extradition proceedings and hopes the U.S. will cooperate. “Seeking extradition would be the last resort”. The southern African country has blamed its economic woes on U.S. sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and close associates, though many commentators have attributed Zimbabwe’s economic decline to mismanagement.

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”. Prosecutors have yet to charge a 2nd suspect, farm owner Honest Ndlovu, who had been named as an accomplice and appeared in court Wednesday. If convicted, Bronkhorst faces up to 15 years of time in prison.

Palmer, 55, is a dentist in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.

“The idea that this lion who was in a protected area, who had been studied for years, he was so popular because the videos of him, he looks so cool, you just seem him wandering around and being kind of comfortable with people in the park, the fact they he had also brought so much money into, people came to see him so he was a staple sort of in the conservation field, was lured out of a park seems unfair”, said IAFW U.S. campaigns director.

Meanwhile, a Zimbabwean newspaper is reporting that the landowner in the Cecil the Lion case still hasn’t been charged for his part in the lion’s killing. “We believe in what would be an ethical hunt”, Pinizzotto said.