US Citizen Sought For Death Of Cecil The Lion

An American citizen is currently being sought by Zimbabwean officials in connection to the killing of Cecil the lion. The killing has drawn attention around the world. Walter James Palmer is suspected of being behind the killing of the prized lion of the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Conservative Task Force head Johnny Rodriguez said Palmer is from Eden Prairie in Minnesota.

The 13-year old lion was a part of a study conducted by the Oxford University of Britain, and was given a GPS collar. Zimbabwe police officials are looking for Palmer even as two Zimbabweans were arrested.

The Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said Theo Bronchorst, a professional hunter, and Honest Trymore Ndlovu are set to appear in court on Wednesday.

While Rodrigues pointed out that Palmer was the American citizen who provided his passport number as well as his street address, the police did not provide clear information about the case. A spokeswoman of the Zimbabwe police, Charity Charamba, said the authorities were looking for Palmer, who may either be a Spaniard or American.

Charamba also said he was suspected of illegally killing Cecil the lion. However, Palmer released a statement indicating that he got the services of professional guides, who secured all the necessary permits for the hunt. Palmer also said to his knowledge, everything associated with the trip was legal.

American Sought For Killing Of Cecil The Lion - image credit: telegraph.co.uk

The statement added that he only learned that the lion was collared and was part of a study after the hunt. He said he relied on his local professional guides in ensuring the hunt was legal. While he was not contacted by US or Zimbabwean officials, he will provide all the necessary assistance in connection to the case. Palmer regretted that his pursuit of an activity he practices responsible caused the death of Cecil the lion.

Rodriguez revealed that $50,000 was paid by Palmer for the kill, which may have been received by Bronchorst. Palmer may have also been involved in the illegal killing of a black bear a number of years ago. Court documents showed that a man with the same age, name and town was responsible for the killing of the black bear. The man also pleaded guilty for making false statement to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He was given probation of one year and a fine of around $3,000.

Rodrigues said Palmer was brought by Bronchorst to the Hwange National Park on July 6. They used a spotlight while hunting at night before they saw Cecil. A dead animal was tied to their vehicle in an effort to bait Cecil the lion to go out of the park. An arrow shot by Palmer wounded the lion before the two men started tracking Cecil. After a forty-hour search, the lion was found and shot using a gun.

When they found the GPS collar, they attempted to destroy it. Rodrigues said the lion was skinned and beheaded. The head has yet to be found. Rodrigues added that Jericho, the next lion in the hierarchy, may kill all the cubs of Cecil to insert his bloodline into the female lions.

The killing of Cecil the lion was sad from the perspective of conservation and animal welfare protection, according to an animal protection group. The population of African lions has gone down to 32,000 in the last thirty years, which is a reduction of nearly sixty percent.

IFAW North American regional director Jeff Flocken said hunters are willing to pay for the chance to kill trophy animals as they become rarer, similar to the killing of a critically endangered black rhino by an American hunter who paid $350,000 for the hunt.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday July 29 2015, 12:36 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0