“It shows that the whole poaching event was properly orchestrated and well financed to make sure it succeeds”, said the Zimbabwean minister. But a court hearing for the landowner accused of allowing the hunt was delayed on Thursday.
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It is clear now that he colluded with the specific land owner, one Honest Trymore Ndlovu of Antoinette Farm, as well as another professional hunter holding licence Nr.
She added, “This must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all genuine, animal-loving conservationists who believe in sustainable utilization of natural resources”. Palmer has said he relied on his guides to ensure the hunt was legal. The lion had a fitted Global Positioning System satellite collar as part of current research efforts being done in Hwange National Park and its surrounding areas.
He added that Palmer, who reportedly paid $50,000 (£32,000) to hunt the lion, additionally violated the act through financing an illegal hunt.
Muchinguri said Palmer’s use of a bow and arrow to kill the lion, who is said to have been lured out of Hwange National Park with bait before being shot, contravened Zimbabwean hunting regulations.
The 13-year-old lion, recognizable by the black streaks in his mane, suffered a slow death, the conservation group said. Palmer’s whereabouts were unknown, and it has been reported he has hired a public relations firm.
The killing of Cecil gained global attention as the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at combating illegal wildlife trafficking and poaching, the culmination of a two-year campaign led by Gabon and Germany. “We appreciate the cooperation, investigation is ongoing”, the tweet said Friday.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said hunting quotas are allocated on sustainable basis and permits are issued out to land owners on an annual basis.
Wildlife officials say Palmer shot Cecil with a crossbow, but he didn’t die immediately. It had more than 175,000 signatures by early Friday afternoon.
She also said she was pleased that almost 500,000 people had called for the extradition of Palmer on Facebook. Authorities in Zimbabwe are seeking Palmer’s extradition.
The dentist, Walter Palmer, admitted to killing the animal, but said he did not know it was a protected animal until after it was dead. In a note to his patients, he wrote: “I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting”. “That was never my intention”.
Zimbabwe and the United States signed an extradition agreement on July 25 1997. The U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe said Friday that it does not comment on extradition matters and the Zimbabwe Embassy in Washington said it had yet to receive instructions. “For inquiries regarding any law enforcement aspects of the case, we refer you to the Government of Zimbabwe or the Department of Justice”.
The agreement with Zimbabwe has been in effect since 2000, but neither country has ever made an extradition request with the other. Its researchers had been tracking Cecil since 2008.
Last year, the southern African nation, which is still recovering from billion-percent hyperinflation a decade ago, earned $45 million from hunting, head told reporters.
Democratic members of the are urging the U.S.to list the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act which would limit the import of sport-hunted lion trophies.
Meanwhile, Cecil’s cubs are likely to survive, even in the wake of the animal’s death, according to one scientist who’s had been studying the lion.
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Hwange is favored by hunters because of its teeming wildlife, Matipano said.
