Zimbabwe trying to get U.S. trophy hunter extradited

A Wisconsin dentist is dealing with angry phone calls because he has the same last name as the Minnesota dentist accused of killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe.

The environmental minister of Zimbabwe, Oppah Muchinguri, called today for the extradition of the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, according to an article by the New York Times.

He has not been sighted since his identity was revealed this week by Zimbabwean conservationists. At a news conference at Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, Muchinguri said she knows the process to extradite Walter Palmer from the U.S.is already underway, the article says.

Cecil, who had a distinctive black mane, was a popular tourist draw at the park and was also wearing a tracking collar as part of an Oxford university research project.

Palmer paid $US55,000 ($A75,400) for the hunt earlier this month in which he shot the lion with a powerful bow and arrow outside Hwange national park in the west of Zimbabwe. The U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe said Friday that it does not comment on extradition matters and the Zimbabwe Embassy in Washington said it had yet to receive instructions.

Social media in the United States and Europe have exploded in outrage and vitriol against Palmer, and the White House said on Thursday it would review a public petition of more than 100,000 signatures to have him extradited. Palmer has said he relied on his guides to ensure the hunt was legal.

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

The hunt is meanwhile said to have exposed financial difficulties facing Zimbabwe’s wildlife conservation authority as official figures show trophy hunting generates some 40 million U.S. dollars annually for the country. But they have not specified what charges might be laid against him, meaning it is unclear what penalty he could face if he is tried and convicted.

Zimbabwe and the United States have often sparred over the years.

Safari Club global has suspended the memberships of Palmer and his hunting guide during the investigations and says anyone who hunts illegally should be prosecuted.

US government in the meantime has launched investigation in the case.

“Considering the case of the killing of Cecil, it’s a matter of very deep concern for all countries in Africa”, Issoze-Ngondet said.