Zimbabwe has called for the extradition of American dentist Walter Palmer who illegally shot and killed Cecil the lion.
Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri stated that Palmer should be handed over to Zimbabwean officials so he can face justice in the country where he killed the much-loved animal, adding that prosecutors have already started the legal process to make it happen.
She referred to the 55-year-old as a ‘foreign poacher’ and said that ‘he needs to be made accountable for his illegal actions.’
Palmer believes all the necessary hunting permits were in order during the hunt that saw him wound the popular lion before later finding him injured and unable to defend himself.
Cecil was lured out of Hwange National Park with bait before being shot by the big game hunter, and had already been injured with a bow and arrow prior to this.
Muchinguri says the use of the bow and arrow was in contravention of Zimbabwean hunting regulations, which basically means what he did was illegal.
After a week of intense social media outrage, and a petition that gained over 100,000 signatures, the Obama administration must now review the motion to extradite Walter. But the Minnesota dentist has not been seen since he was identified to the public.
Now he himself is being hunted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service following an announcement to investigate him.
