Jericho the Lion as also been referred to as Cecil’s brother, but Wildlife Conservation Research Unit director David Macdonald said the two lions are not related by blood.
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WASHINGTON, Aug4 A 115-year-old U.S. law aimed at preventing unlawful animal trafficking may be hard to enforce in the case of an American hunter who killed a celebrated Zimbabwean lion.
“He looks alive and well to me as far as I can tell”, Brent Stapelkamp said.
Stewart Dorrington, operator of Melorani Safaris in South Africa, said Seski had hunted on his property and all his actions there were “perfectly legal”.
Authorities in Zimbabwe have described Palmer as an accomplice to an illegal hunt, and prosecutors have said flatly that his guide and outfitter lacked the permits to kill a lion legally.
Earlier Saturday, Zimbabwe’s parks authority announced restrictions on hunting around Hwange park, including an immediate suspension of the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants.
“During this trip, Dr. Seski did lawfully hunt and take a lion”, said his Washington attorney, Gregory Linsin.
Bauer and his Oxford colleague Claudio Sillero said as bad as trophy hunting could be – estimates of lions killed each year range from 600 to more than 1,000 – habitat loss and conflicts between lions and locals over livestock and agriculture were bigger problems.
In this image takem from a November 2012 video made available by Paula French, a well-known, protected lion known as Cecil strolls around in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe.
The 68-year-old is the latest American doctor to find himself in the bull’s-eye of animal activists and government officials for his role in the controversial blood sport.
“We grew up hunting, our forefathers grew up hunting, and it is part of our culture”.
The AP reports that Zimbabwean officials believe Palmer “lacked the authorization to kill Cecil“. “And if we do not use wildlife sustainably, there will be no wildlife”.
As a result of the U.S. Extradition policy with Zimbabwe, it is very possible Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer could be sent to the country and face charges if found guilty.
He said that hunters had accused him of taking money from hunts, a claim he denied.
The Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri said that they are appealing to the proper authorities for Palmer’s extradition, the Associated Press reports.
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An animal protection group said Cecil’s death was sad “not only from an animal welfare perspective, but also for conservation reasons”.
