Two men were due in a Zimbabwean court on poaching charges yesterday after a wealthy US dentist killed a beloved lion at a national park, sparking global outrage.
Cecil the lion, a popular attraction among international visitors to Hwange National Park, was lured outside the reserve’s boundaries by bait and killed earlier this month.
Walter James Palmer, a trophy hunter from Minnesota, paid $50000 (R630000) for the hunt.
Zimbabwean professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and landowner Honest Ndlovu were due in court in Victoria Falls yesterday. “The professional hunter and landowner 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. “ are being jointly charged for illegally hunting the lion.”
It made no mention of Palmer, but said Bronkhorst’s son Zane was also wanted for questioning.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) charity said Palmer and Bronkhorst had gone 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 didn’t kill him.
“They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun,” ZCTF alleged, adding that the hunters unsuccessfully tried to hide the dead lion’s tracking collar, which was part of a University of Oxford research programme.
“Cecil was skinned and beheaded. We don’t know the whereabouts of the head,” it said.
The NGO added that Cecil had cubs, which were now likely to be killed by the lion that took over in the group’s hierarchy.
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.
“A lot of people travel long distances to Zimbabwe to enjoy our wildlife and obviously the absence of Cecil is a disaster,” Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, told reporters.
He described the lion as “almost semi-domesticated”.
Palmer is well-known in US hunting circles as an expert shot with his bow and arrow, and has travelled the world in pursuit of leopards, buffalo, rhino, elk and other large mammals.
Palmer, who reportedly pleaded guilty in 2008 to poaching a black bear in Wisconsin, said he had relied on the expertise of local guides to “ensure a legal hunt”.
“I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practise responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” he said. “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study.”
Palmer’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and website of his dental practice – River Bluff Dental in Minneapolis, Minnesota – were shut down on Tuesday after a flood of blistering attacks.
A makeshift memorial began forming outside his shuttered office as people dropped off stuffed animals and flowers.
The hashtag #CecilTheLion was trending online and an online petition demanding justice for Cecil had drawn 95000 signatures.
Some hunting of lions and other large animals is legal in countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where permits are issued allowing hunters to kill certain beasts that are beyond breeding age.
It is outlawed, however, in Zimbabwe’s national parks.
Zim’s canned hunting guides appear in court
Cecil the lion, a popular attraction among international visitors to Hwange National Park, was lured outside the reserve’s boundaries by bait and killed earlier this month.
Walter James Palmer, a trophy hunter from Minnesota, paid $50000 (R630000) for the hunt.
Zimbabwean professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and landowner Honest Ndlovu were due in court in Victoria Falls yesterday. “The professional hunter and landowner 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. “ are being jointly charged for illegally hunting the lion.”
It made no mention of Palmer, but said Bronkhorst’s son Zane was also wanted for questioning.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) charity said Palmer and Bronkhorst had gone 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 didn’t kill him.
“They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun,” ZCTF alleged, adding that the hunters unsuccessfully tried to hide the dead lion’s tracking collar, which was part of a University of Oxford research programme.
“Cecil was skinned and beheaded. We don’t know the whereabouts of the head,” it said.
The NGO added that Cecil had cubs, which were now likely to be killed by the lion that took over in the group’s hierarchy.
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.
“A lot of people travel long distances to Zimbabwe to enjoy our wildlife and obviously the absence of Cecil is a disaster,” Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, told reporters.
He described the lion as “almost semi-domesticated”.
Palmer is well-known in US hunting circles as an expert shot with his bow and arrow, and has travelled the world in pursuit of leopards, buffalo, rhino, elk and other large mammals.
Palmer, who reportedly pleaded guilty in 2008 to poaching a black bear in Wisconsin, said he had relied on the expertise of local guides to “ensure a legal hunt”.
“I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practise responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” he said. “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study.”
Palmer’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and website of his dental practice – River Bluff Dental in Minneapolis, Minnesota – were shut down on Tuesday after a flood of blistering attacks.
A makeshift memorial began forming outside his shuttered office as people dropped off stuffed animals and flowers.
The hashtag #CecilTheLion was trending online and an online petition demanding justice for Cecil had drawn 95000 signatures.
Some hunting of lions and other large animals is legal in countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where permits are issued allowing hunters to kill certain beasts that are beyond breeding age.
It is outlawed, however, in Zimbabwe’s national parks.
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