The trophy hunter from
Minnesota who has gone into hiding amid a global outpouring of anger after he
shot Cecil the lion has made Zimbabwe on Friday called for the extradition of
Walter Palmer.
Palmer allegedly paid
$50,000 for the hunt earlier this month in which he shot the lion with a powerful
bow and arrow at night, close to Hwange national park in the west of Zimbabwe.
Cecil, who had a
distinctive black mane, was a popular tourist attraction at the park and was
also wearing a tracking collar as part of a University of Oxford research
project.
“We are appealing to the
responsible authorities for (Palmer’s) extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can
be made accountable for his illegal actions,” environment minister Oppah
Muchinguri told reporters in Harare.
“It was too late to
apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of
origin.”
Palmer, who is also being
investigated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service over Cecil’s killing, has
apologised and said he was misled by professional guide Theo Bronkhorst.
Bronkhorst, who organised
the expedition, was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being
charged with “failing to prevent an illegal hunt”.
Muchinguri gave a political
spin to Cecil’s death.
“Palmer, being an American
citizen, had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of
Zimbabwe and further strain the relation between Zimbabwe and the United
States,” she alleged.
The US imposed sanctions
including travel bans and asset freezes on long-ruling President Robert Mugabe
and members of his inner circle after 2002 elections which western observers
said were rigged.
Muchinguri said that
Palmer, Bronkhorst and the landowner were guilty of illegally “poaching” the
lion, which was allegedly lured out of the national park with an elephant
carcass.
She said Cecil was “an
iconic attraction… which we had successfully managed to look after both in
terms of conservation and protection from a cub to a fully-grown lion of 13
years.”
In an interview with the
British Telegraph, Bronkhorst told how Palmer was only in Zimbabwe for a few
days, and had also wanted to shoot a large elephant.
“A huge male — Cecil — came
into view… He was a magnificent animal,” Bronkhorst said, describing the hunt.
“The client then fired
using a bow and arrow, and it went away into the long grass.”
Cecil was only injured, and
the next day they tracked it down and Palmer shot it.
Bronkhorst said they were
both shocked to discover the collar.
“I could not have seen the
collar at night. We would never shoot a collared animal. I was devastated, and
so was the client, we were both upset, and I panicked and took it off and put
it in a tree,” he said.
Bronkhorst admitted he
should have taken the collar to the authorities, and added that the hunt “went
wrong from the beginning” when they had to change location at the last minute.
About 50,000 visitors —
half of them from abroad — visit the Hwange park every year, and Cecil was a
much-photographed star attraction.
Palmer’s dental practice in
Minnesota has been the scene of protests against Cecil’s death, with crowds
leaving toys of lions, tigers and monkeys outside the building.
A sign reading “Rot in
Hell” was plastered on the office door.
One animal rights charity
called for Palmer to be hanged.
Bronkhorst is due to stand
trial in Hwange on August 5.
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