In the meantime a report by the CNN says that “his practice, Red River Dental, is shuttered, at least for now”.
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Instead, Palmer tracked the lion for about 40 hours, and then killed him with a gun, news sources said.
“The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of ‘Cecil the lion, ‘” Edward Grace, the agency’s deputy chief of law enforcement, said in a statement to BuzzFeed.
Attempts by CNBC to contact Palmer also met with no success.
Lions are making news headlines a lot lately, with Milwaukee’s lion on the loose and Cecil the lion hunted and killed by a Minnesota dentist in Zimbabwe. It said it supports “only legal hunting practices and those who comply with all applicable hunting rules and regulations”. While hunting may be considered essential in certain areas of the word, including in the area around the park where Cecil lived, the tale coming out of Zimbabwe is that Cecil was lured out of the park.
“Illegal killing of lions is a real threat to the species’ survival”. And, in addition to conducting its own probe, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it is ready to assist Zimbabwe in its investigation.
In one of the shocking videos, a purported American stalks a lioness before firing four arrows into her side as a pair of local guides and his comrades applaud him for the trophy kill.
Zimbabwe and the U.S.do have an extradition treaty. Foreign animals can be listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. No. Here’s why.]. A professional hunter in Zimbabwe, Theo Bronkhorst, was granted bail of $1,000 after appearing in a court on Wednesday for allegedly helping Palmer shoot the animal.
Minnesota congresswoman, Betty McCollum, joined calls to investigate the dentist, a seasoned hunter with a poaching conviction over the 2008 killing of a black bear in the United States.
Bucking against worldwide outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe, professional hunters argue that their industry follows strict rules aimed at preserving wildlife and supporting local people.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Palmer said that he had trusted his guides and was unaware that the killing was illegal. “We never hear them speak out when villagers are killed by lions and elephants in Hwange“. PETA has called for him to be hanged. “A memorial of stuffed animals piles up at the door”.
Palmer has issued a letter to his patients, which was obtained by the Star Tribune and KSTP-TV. “I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting”, he wrote in the letter, which added that he would “resume normal operations as soon as possible”.
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Meantime, police in Bloomington and Eden Prairie are keeping close tabs on Palmer’s dental office and home as the protests over the lion’s death continue.
