Photo via MorgueFile – not of article’s subject
Walter James Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota is wanted by authorities and many animal activists after he brutally hunted and killed Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe.
Cecil was a favorite of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, where visitors would come and hope to catch a sight of the beautiful majestic animal. According to reports, Palmer paid a large amount of money to hunt Cecil.
Palmer released a statement on Tuesday saying, “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted. I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.” He added, “Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.”
Many have surrounded Palmer’s Minnesota home, leaving stuffed animal lions at the entrance.
The Park released an official press statement: Theo Bronchorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris is facing criminal charges (VIC FALLS Police CR 27/07/2015) for allegedly killing a collared lion on Antoinette farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange district on 1 July 2015. The lion named ‘Cecil’ was well known and regularly sighted by tourists in the Main camp area of Hwange National Park. It is alleged that the hunter connived with the Antoinette land owner, Mr. Honest Trymore Ndlovu to kill the lion. Ongoing investigations to date, suggest that the killing of the lion was illegal since the land owner was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015. Therefore, all persons implicated in this case are due to appear in court facing poaching charges.
