Cecil the lion’s killer Walter Palmer back to work after six weeks in hiding

THE US dentist who sparked international outrage when he killed Cecil the lion during a hunting trip has returned to work after six weeks in hiding.

Dentist Walter Palmer enters his dental practice on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015 in Bloomington, Minn. Palmer returned to his practice after weeks out of the public eye. He was the subject of an international uproar after he was identified as the hunter who killed the famous lion in Zimbabwe. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUT

THE US dentist who sparked international outrage when he killed Cecil the lion during a hunting trip to Zimbabwe has returned to work after six weeks in hiding.

Walter Palmer entered his Bloomington, Minnesota dental practice overnight without a word amid a crowd of protesters and reporters, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper.

A photo tweeted by broadcaster CBS meanwhile showed the 55-year-old casually dressed in a dark polo shirt, surrounded by people scrambling to take pictures on their cell phones.

Protests ... Small notes are placed on the front door of the dental practice of Walter Palmer. Picture: AP

Zimbabwe has asked the United States to extradite Palmer to face charges over the July hunt.

The Star Tribune reported there was a small police presence on hand outside the dental practice at daybreak as the first employees arrived. However, there were no reports of scuffles.

In his first interview since the uproar, Palmer told the newspaper over the weekend he and the others in his party had no clue the animal they were hunting was the revered feline that had been a well-known attraction at the Hwange National Park.

He also maintained he thought the hunt, during which he was armed with a powerful crossbow, was legal.

Back to work ... Dentist Walter Palmer is greeted by a staffer as he enters his dental practice. Picture: AP

Palmer declined to say whether he would abide by any request to return to Zimbabwe over legal allegations and an lawyer present for the interview added that there had been “no official allegations” of wrongdoing.

Cecil had been wearing a tracking collar as part of an Oxford University research project. But Palmer said he had been unable to see the device in the night and under the animal’s mane, adding that it was not illegal to kill lions with collars.

Palmer said the ordeal had been particularly difficult for his wife and daughter, who had been threatened on social media.

Killed ... A well-known, protected lion known as Cecil strolls around in Hwange National Park. Picture: AP