“Headman Sibanda’s case is in connection with a lion that was killed by the other American in April”, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo said.
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Theo Bronkhorst, a 55-year-old professional Zimbabwean hunter, allegedly was paid $50,000 by Palmer to lure the lion out of the wildlife reserve so Palmer could shoot and kill the animal.
He said: “But we are going to try and get the authorities to release so it can be mounted in the Hwange National Park as a memorial”.
Seski, 68, a gynecologic oncologist who directs the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, is also a big-game hunter, according to safari outfitters and bow-hunting sites.
Surprising no one familiar with his pro-hunting politics, Motor City Madman Ted Nugent has taken off on a riff of sorts defending the Minnesota dentist who shot Cecil, Zimbabwe’s most famous lion.
The well-loved and well-known lion was part of a long-term conservation study being overseen by Oxford University, and he was wearing a radio collar when he was shot.
Seski did not respond to The AP’s requests for comment.
Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced the “Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Giant (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act”, which might broaden import bans to species proposed for itemizing as threatened or endangered, in addition to these already listed as endangered. A government minister in the African country has called him a “foreign poacher” and said he should be extradited.
Conflicting reports have emerged on the fate of Jericho, Cecil the lion’s brother.
Bronkhorst told AFP that he and Palmer obtained multiple permits for killing a lion using a bow and arrow.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said Palmer’s representative finally reached out to them late last week.
The landowner, Honest Ndlovu, was also accused of assisting Palmer but has not been charged, Reuters reported.
The deaths of both lions have sparked worldwide outrage and forced both Palmer and Seski to go into hiding as death threats mount and their professional lives are put on hold.
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“Our law enforcement officers are looking into the matter so that we can really understand what transpired and if what ever happened in April was illegally done”, said Prince Mupazviriho, permanent secretary of Zimbabwe’s Environment, Water and Climate Ministry.
