Zimbabwe seeks extradition of American over lion death
Harare wants American dentist extradited so he can face charges of killing well-known lion Cecil.
Zimbabwe has called for the extradition of Walter Palmer, the trophy hunter from Minnesota who has gone into hiding amid a global outpouring of anger after he shot dead Cecil the lion.
“We are appealing to the responsible authorities for (Palmer’s) extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be made accountable for his illegal actions,” Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri told reporters in Harare on Friday.
“It was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin.” the minister added.
Palmer allegedly paid $50,000 for the hunt earlier this month in which he shot the lion with a powerful bow and arrow at night, close to Hwange national park in the west of Zimbabwe.
Cecil, who had a distinctive black mane, was a popular tourist attraction at the park and was also wearing a tracking collar as part of a University of Oxford research project.
Palmer, who is also being investigated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service over Cecil’s killing, has apologised and said he was misled by professional guide Theo Bronkhorst.
Bronkhorst, who organised the expedition, was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being charged with “failing to prevent an illegal hunt”.