Headman Sibanda, a Zimbabwean landowner, has been arrested in connection with the case, which happened around Hwange National Park – the same district where Cecil was being monitored by researchers from Oxford University.
Advertisement
The discovery that Cecil, the star of Zimbabwe national park, had been lured out and killed by American bow hunter and dentist Walter James Palmer has resulted in online anger and protests at his dental clinic. We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable.On Tuesday, Palmer issued a statement saying he relied on his guides to ensure the hunt was legal.
The development comes as the two Zimbabweans, a professional hunter and a private farm owner, have already been summoned to court on charges of illegal poaching for alleged involvement in Palmer’s hunting of the famed lion.
A Bloomington man faces the world’s wrath over a lion he illegally killed while on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe.
She also said Mr Palmer’s use of a bow and arrow against Cecil was in contravention of Zimbabwean hunting regulations, Reuters reports.
The African lion is protected under the Convention on global Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an worldwide treaty between 180 countries established in 1975 that works to protect animals and plants.
In Zimbabwe, the illegal killing of a lion is punishable by a mandatory fine of $20,000 and up to 10 years in prison.
Contacted by CNN, the U.S. State Department said that as a matter of policy, it did not comment on specific extradition requests.
Proud hunter… Walter Palmer poses with another lion that he killed.
Cecil was considered an iconic attraction for tourists at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. The day before, the USFWS asked Palmer or his representative to contact it immediately. “We want him (Palmer) to be extradited and tried in Zimbabwe”, she said.
The White House said on Thursday it would review a public petition with more than 100,000 signatures demanding Palmer’s extradition. Together they oversaw two prides, one with three lionesses and seven cubs and another with three lionesses.
Advertisement
Palmer has admitted killing but said he believed he had the right hunting licence and did not know Cecil was part of a conservation study.
