Urging Americans to curb trophy killings and not be “cowardly lions”, US lawmakers introduced legislation on Friday (Jul 31) that would prevent the kinds of controversial hunting that brought down Zimbabwe’s beloved lion Cecil.
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“Unfortunately it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin”, she said in a press conference.
The landowner allegedly allowed the hunt to be conducted without a lion quota and without the necessary permit, Muchinguri said. Palmer issued a statement Tuesday saying he relied on his guides to ensure the hunt was legal.
Palmer’s whereabouts remain unknown amid the uproar over the hunt.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Services proposed labeling the African Lion as endangered under the Endangered Species Act last year, but it’s not yet final, Menendez’s statement said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Palmer the dentist is still in hiding.
The agency is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the lion, named Cecil.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been wanting to have a chat with Palmer about his actions but after stopping by his house, his dental practice, and flooding his inbox with messages, they still haven’t heard from the man.
Palmer and his two guides, who have already appeared in court, then skinned and beheaded the animal, leaving the carcass behind. “Nearly 500,000 people are calling for his extradition and we need this support”, Muchinguri said. It had more than 175,000 signatures by early Friday afternoon.
Mr Palmer is a dentist in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.
“We shot an old male lion that I believed was past his breeding age”, Bronkhorst said in telephone interview with AFP. “That was never my intention”.
“I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have”, Palmer said at the time.
The US Justice Department said it does not comment on extradition requests.
Zimbabwean prosecutors have charged Bronkhorst with killing a lion not authorized to be hunted.
But the team at Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Unit have seen Cecil’s brother step into the fold to protect the young. Its researchers had been tracking Cecil since 2008.
According to the act, illegal hunting and poaching can carry up to 20 years imprisonment but can also be dealt with by a fine. Two U.S. philanthropists, Tom Kaplan and his wife, Daphne Recanati Kaplan, have now pledged to match any further donations made, up to a total of $100,000, it added.
As worldwide outrage over the shooting continued, French actress and animal activist Brigitte Bardot described Palmer as a “serial killer” who deserved “exemplary punishment”.
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“I sincerely regret taking such a magnificent animal that happened to be an icon that I didn’t even know existed”, he said.
