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American dentist accused of paying Zimbabwean hunter to skin, behead ‘iconic’ Cecil the lion

THE American dentist who paid to shoot, behead and skin a lion that turned out to be Zimbabwe’s most famous animal thought the hunt was completely legal.

AFP and Network Writers
4 min read
July 29, 2015 - 12:30PM
News Corp Australia
Walter J. Palmer (left) with one of his trophies. (man at right is unidentified) photo: facebook.
Walter J. Palmer (left) with one of his trophies. (man at right is unidentified) photo: facebook.

AN AVID American hunter accused of illegally killing a famed and protected lion in Zimbabwe said he thought everything about his trip was legal and wasn’t aware of the animal’s status “until the end of the hunt.”

Walter Palmer, who has a felony record in the US related to shooting a black bear in Wisconsin, released his statement through a public relations firm after being identified by Zimbabwean authorities as the American involved in the July hunt.

They said he is being sought on poaching charges, but Palmer said he hasn’t heard from US or Zimbabwean authorities.

Avid hunter ... Walter Palmer (left) with one of his previous trophies. Photo: Cacebook.
Avid hunter ... Walter Palmer (left) with one of his previous trophies. Photo: Cacebook.

“I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” said Palmer, a dentist who lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie.

He is believed to have paid about $68,000 to kill the famed animal in Hwange National Park on July 1.

Cecil the lion, as the animal is known around the world, was first wounded by bow and arrow, then fatally shot with a gun. He was skinned and beheaded.

Zimbabwean police say they are searching for Palmer. Two Zimbabwean men will appear in court for allegedly helping lure the lion outside of its protected area to kill it.

According to UScourt records, Palmer pleaded guilty in 2008 to making false statements to the US Fish and Wildlife Service about a black bear he fatally shot in western Wisconsin. Palmer had a permit to hunt but shot the animal outside the authorized zone in 2006, then tried to pass it off as being killed elsewhere, according to court documents. He was given one year probation and fined nearly $3000.

Majestic creature ... Cecil the lion was lured outside his boundaries before being slaughtered. Picture: AFP/Zimbabwe National Parks
Majestic creature ... Cecil the lion was lured outside his boundaries before being slaughtered. Picture: AFP/Zimbabwe National Parks

Palmer’s whereabouts are unknown. No one answered the door at his home, and a woman who came out of his dental office in nearby Bloomington said he wasn’t there and wasn’t taking patients today. Phone calls to listed home numbers went unanswered.

Palmer has several hunts on record with the Pope and Young Club, where archers register big game taken in North America for posterity, said Glenn Hisey, the club’s director of records. Hisey said he didn’t have immediate access to records showing the types and number of animals killed by Palmer, but noted that club records involve legal hunts “taken under our rules of fair chase.”

Although African game wouldn’t be eligible, Hisey said he alerted the group’s board that Palmer’s ethics were being called into question. He said Palmer’s domestic records could be jeopardized if he’s found to have done something illegal abroad.

The killing has sparked outrage among conservationists and high-profile opponents of big-game hunting. A memorial shrine to the slain animal has formed outside Palmer’s dental offices, where horrified mourners are laying stuffed toys and signs.

Whereabouts unknown ... Palmer works out of this dental office, where conservationists have begun laying tributes for Cecil.
Whereabouts unknown ... Palmer works out of this dental office, where conservationists have begun laying tributes for Cecil.

The company’s Facebook page has been taken down after it was bombarded with messages of outrage from furious users around the world.

Hollywood film director Judd Apatow tweeted: “There are so many ways to be a f****ng idiot in the modern world”, while actor Olivia Wilde’s dismay was also obvious: “Ohh the dentist “had no idea” the lion was famous. Because had he known, he would never have murdered it without asking for a selfie first”.

Ricky Gervais was equally unimpressed.

Fundira described Cecil, who was lured outside its boundaries with bait, as “almost semi-domesticated”.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force charity said Palmer and professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst went out at night with a spotlight and tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil into range.

“Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow but this shot didn’t kill him. They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun,” the charity alleged.

It added that the hunters unsuccessfully tried to hide the dead lion’s tracking collar, which was part of a University of Cambridge research program.

“Cecil was skinned and beheaded. We don’t know the whereabouts of the head,” the charity alleged.

Dead ... Cecil the lion was a protected animal.
Dead ... Cecil the lion was a protected animal.

Cecil, aged about 13, was said by safari operators to be an “iconic” animal recognised by many visitors to Hwange due to his distinctive black mane.

Hwange attracted 50,000 visitors last year, about half from abroad.

Palmer said in a statement to CBS News that he didn’t know Cecil was collared and part of a study.

“I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” he said.

“I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice, legally, resulted in the taking of this lion. I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt.”

Palmer is an experienced trophy hunter from Minnesota.

He is well-known in US hunting circles as an expert shot with his bow and arrow, and has travelled across the world in pursue of leopards, buffalo rhino, elk and other large mammals.

The website and Facebook page for his dental clinic, River Bluff Dental, appear to have been taken down after a flood of criticism.

American dentist ... Walt Palmer (right) is well-known in US hunting circles as an expert shot with his bow and arrow. Picture: Facebook/Trophy Hunt America
American dentist ... Walt Palmer (right) is well-known in US hunting circles as an expert shot with his bow and arrow. Picture: Facebook/Trophy Hunt America

Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu will appear in court in Victoria Falls on Wednesday to face poaching charges.

“Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt,” the Zimbabwean Parks Authority said in a statement.

“(They) are being jointly charged for illegally hunting the lion.”

The statement made no mention of Palmer but added that Bronkhorst’s son Zane was also wanted for questioning.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/world/africa/american-dentist-accused-of-paying-zimbabwean-hunter-to-skin-behead-iconic-cecil-the-lion/news-story/ac36dff7f586ff212d00c8f082192a40