Walter Palmer, the American dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, could be deported to Zimbabwe to face trial after the country’s wildlife minister announced an extradition order for the hunter. “We want him tried in Zimbabwe because he violated our laws” said Muchinguri, as quoted in the Portland Press Herald.
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Muchinguri, a senior member of President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party, described Cecil – a black-maned lion well-known to foreign tourists in the Hwange National Park – as an “iconic attraction”.
Zimbabwe officials have said Palmer’s hunt was illegal, regardless of the $50,000 he paid for a permit.
And it seems like Palmer just might be aware of this, because despite repeated attempts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get ahold of the dentist, he’s nowhere to be found.
Palmer has told his local newspaper, the Star Tribune, that he “deeply regrets” killing the animal.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether the government would consider extraditing Palmer, who has yet to be charged with a crime in the U.S. Bronkhorst is now facing charges in Zimbabwe.
More than 850,000 people worldwide have signed an online form expressing outrage over Cecil’s slaughter, and at least 100,000 Americans have petitioned the White House “to fully cooperate with the Zimbabwe authorities and to extradite Walter Palmer promptly at the Zimbabwe government’s request”.
“She said both Palmer and professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst violated the Parks and Wildlife Act, which controls the use of bow and arrow hunting”. The hunt hadn’t been authorized by the Gwaii Valley Farmers’ Association, which is in charge of all hunting in the area, the group said in an e-mailed statement. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also investigating Palmer, according to CNN. Palmer has admitted to killing the lion but said he believed everything about the hunt was legal and that he was simply following the directions of his guides.
“The time to act is now”, Braun said.
Austin said he did not know whether Palmer was in the country; he had spoken to him only on the phone.
Two Zimbabwean citizens, a professional hunter and a farm owner, have already been arrested in connection with the killing of Cecil.
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.
They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
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Meanwhile the Zimbabwe Embassy in Washington said it hasn’t received specific instructions on the extradition yet. Police in his home town in Minnesota said they were keeping a very close eye on his neighborhood to ensure the safety of all residents there.
