Police have opened an investigation into reported death threats against an American dentist who killed a prized lion in Zimbabwe.
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A professional hunter, Theo Bronkhorst, pleaded not guilty in a Zimbabwean court on Wednesday to a charge of “failing to supervise, control and take reasonable steps to prevent an unlawful hunt” when Palmer killed the lion known as Cecil.
After the lion did not die, the man and two local guides tracked, skinned and decapitated him. He said he had hired professional local guides who secured hunting permits and believed the hunt was legal.
His clinic’s website, which is no longer online, said he enjoys outdoor activities and, “Anything allowing him to stay active and observe and photograph wildlife is where you will find Dr. Palmer when he not in the office”.
Social media – for example on Twitter under #cecilthelion – was also filled with condemnation of the killing of the black-maned lion just outside Hwange national park in Zimbabwe.
The likelihood that Palmer gets hanged is low, though the other men involved in the incident face up to 15 years in prison.
Ndlovu did not have a hunting permit, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said in a joint statement.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official says the agency is “deeply concerned” about the recent killing of a protected lion in Zimbabwe.
Dr Walter Palmer is said to have paid $54,000 to hunt and kill the animal. He was given a year’s probation and fined almost £1,925. He was also a participant in a study, which Oxford University in Britain was conducting. Joseph said she’s not a hunter, but doesn’t flatly condemn the practice. He added that he had not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or the US and would assist in any inquiries.
The petition says: “Two of Palmer’s local accomplices are already in custody”.
The Zimbabwean farmer and professional hunter appeared in court Wednesday on poaching charges for their role in killing Cecil.
“This ban would cut off a link back to the United States for game hunters intent on importing the dead carcasses of endangered animals”, he said in a statement.
Palmer hasn’t been seen since he was accused of paying $50,000 to have the big cat lured out of a protected area in Zimbabwe to shoot it with a crossbow for sport.
Doug Kelley, a former federal prosecutor and Palmer’s attorney in the bear case, was unavailable for comment Tuesday, according to his assistant.
Outraged animal lovers have descended on Dr Palmer’s business calling him a “coward” and saying he should suffer the same way Cecil did.
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On his late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel choked up while begging people to donate to animal causes.
