Animal lovers have been left shocked and outraged after an American dentist payed tens of thousands of pounds to hunt a lion whilst on holiday in Zimbabwe.
US citizen Walter Palmer handed over the cash to shoot Cecil, who is one of Africa’s ‘most famous’ lions at Hwange national park.
According to the Guardian, Palmer left the lion skinned and headless on the outskirts of the park.
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF)’s Johnny Rodrigues said in a statement: “They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil.
“They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park.”
Rodrigues continued: “They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun.”
After being exposed as the hunter, Mr Palmer’s spokesperson said in a statement: “As far as I understand, Walter believes that he might have shot that lion that has been referred to as Cecil.
“What he’ll tell you is that he had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides, so he’s not denying that he may be the person who shot this lion. He is a big-game hunter; he hunts the world over.”
Since the lion was killed, two men who accompanied Mr Palmer on the trip have been arrested and now face poaching charges. One of the men arrested was Theo Bronkhorst, founder of Bushman Safaris Zimbabwe. They are due to appear in court next week.
The ZCTF said: “In this case, 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.”
Countries in Africa are attempting to bring a stop to illegal hunting and poaching. According to the ZCTF, 24 lions have been killed in Hwange national park alone.
Following Cecil’s death, the next male in line in the lion ‘hierarchy’, Jericho, is likely to kill Cecil’s cubs in order to show his dominance and ‘insert his own bloodline into the females’.
Rodgrigues and the rest of his team at the ZCTF will be left to prevent further deaths amongst the pride following Cecil’s horrific death.
(Stock images used)