via Killer of Cecil the lion should be extradited, Zimbabwe says – Southern Eye
The American dentist who killed Cecil the lion a month ago in Zimbabwe paid for an illegal hunt and should be extradited to the southern African nation to face justice, environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said on Friday.
Reuters
In a news conference, Muchinguri referred to 55-year-old Walter Palmer as a “foreign poacher” and said she understood the Prosecutor General had started the process to have him extradited from the United States.
“We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be held accountable for his illegal action,” she said.
Palmer has admitted killing the 13-year-old predator, a favorite with foreign tourists and the subject of an Oxford University study, but said he had hired professional guides and believed all the necessary hunting permits were in order.
Muchinguri also said Palmer’s use of a bow and arrow to kill the lion, who is said to have been lured out of Hwange National Park with bait before being shot, was in contravention of Zimbabwean hunting regulations.
Palmer, a life-long big game hunter, managed to return to the United States before the authorities were aware of the controversy around Cecil’s death.
“It was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher because he had already absconded to his country of origin,” Muchinguri said.
The killing has sparked social media outrage against Palmer in the United States. The White House said on Thursday it would review a public petition of more than 100,000 signatures to have him extradited.
COMMENTS
Wouldn’t it be nice if government pursued local corruption with the same vehemence as they direct at a foreigner who killed a lion that most Zimbos have never heard of and don’t care about?
You are right man
I agree DL, and isn’t it sad that we have a blithering idiotic environmental minister who has no clue what she is talking about!
The client went home lady, he did not abscond!
How can you find him guilty without a trial? How dare you refer to him as a “foreign poacher”? I hope he sues you for defamation of character woman!
You know nothing of the Wild life act lady and for your pathetic information it is clear the client had a Parks bow permit.
Im sure you will be apologizing soon and I hope he sues you.
Yeah, hes a poacher,,, and went out of his way to kill the animal,,, just like a robber comes into his home to kill him to gain his money,, theres no difference, so if his family are killed,, no-one will be concerned,,,,
I suggest they dig deeper. I can guarantee that someone who would prefer to remain anonymous will be named.
if the minister had got his cut then none of this would have been a problem, this is not the first time a collared lion has been shot, bet parks can’t explain how one was shot in the same area 2005/6 with a collar and made it to Mtetsi in 4 hrs, very fast lion
Muchinguri is venting her spleen for a lion.
What of the people known to her living in Zimbabwe who killed MDC members. Itai Dzamara is still missing but you want to shoot about s dead lion. Incidentally who named this lion Cecil in the first place. If he was named Maswerasei perhaps I would symphathise.
What nonsense!
As far as I can see, this fellow got conned by a couple of Zim crooks, Bronkhorst and “Honest” (LOL) Nlovu.
And only one minor mention on the BBC that the farm it was shot on is in fact a stolen farm.
You see now…….Honest who “owns” a farm! I rest my case!!!
Well..this talk of extradition is interesting..hoprfully it sets a precedence..I am sure the US certainly has a few characters from Zim that she would want extradited. On the other hand though it would seem that all that talk of lawlessness,lack of rule of law and selective justice supposedly prevalent in Zim is suddenly set aside all for Cecil’s sake.Now that pariah state is accorded the ability to dispense justice. Whilst I abhore the callous ‘murder’ of Cecil, I am actually of the Shumba totem, I cannot help marvelling at the socio-political dynamics at play.
Well..this talk of extradition is interesting..hopefully it sets a precedence..I am sure the US certainly has a few characters from Zim that she would want extradited. On the other hand though it would seem that all that talk of lawlessness,lack of rule of law and selective justice supposedly prevalent in Zim is suddenly set aside all for Cecil’s sake.Now, that pariah state is accorded the ability to dispense credible justice. Whilst I abhore the callous ‘murder’ of Cecil, I am actually of the Shumba totem, I cannot help marvelling at the socio-political dynamics at play.Animal lovers and perhaps a ‘crossbow killing’ chance for poor Zim to be in the news again hence Oppah’s hoarse mumbo-jumbo certaily a welcome break from Politburo duels!
It is just as well that he didn’t shoot a dog with his bow and arrow. If he had, the English would have sent the SAS and a lynch mob out to get him!
Oppah. This is an excellent idea. I think we should exchange Perence Shiri and Robert Mugabe for the hunter. Zimbabwe can then allow Shiri and Mugabe to go The Hague to answer questions about the 20 000 civilians murdered in the Gukuruhundi. Two people in The Netherlands will mean two less people to feed in Zimbabwe? Oppah – it is wonderful to see your quest for Justice and even better if we start at the top in terms of power and the top in terms of magnitude – 20 000 murders is a worthy case to investigate, surely?
Yeh. Just like the killers of all our own people should be extradited to the Hague?
Sadly, the Chinese are creating greater havoc with African wildlife these days. The People’s Republic of China: friend or foe?
I totally agree with @KWV , my guess is this guy palmer did nothing wrong he paid his money in good faith that all he was doing was above board ie he hired a licensed Professional Hunter with a registered operator and followed there guidance on what he can and can’t do.
It just turned out that Broken Horse and Honest were in fact criminals LOL
Palmer is not an innocent hunter that was accidently led astray. He has been cited for illegal hunting practices in the US before and is an experienced international trophy hunter so, the idea he didn’t know what he was about does not pass common sense. It is his responsibility to make sure he is pursuing game legally. If you hunt in the US and are caught, citing, poor me I didn’t know, is not going to get you off, you will be charged and face the punishment which hopefully will happen in this case. In regards to the Zimbabwe people not caring whether this lion was killed is a sad statement. Others in the international community see him as a Zimbabwe treasure that was brutally murdered and stolen from the Zimbabwe people because some sadist had enough money to do it. This lion’s death diminishes all of us.
Minnesota Mad,You have are ill informed and do not know what you are taking about.
I agree with ntaba too.
We have no shortage of known criminals guilty of murder in the moust foul ways.
Zanooo trying to throw a smoke screen, as usual!
“Honest” who owns a farm ???????????? Seriously I ask you has there ever been a more ludicrous statement in the history of mankind??? “Honest who stole a farm and then reverted it to bush and subleased it to a white thief who bullsh%$ed some yank so that Honest and his white thieving scoundrel friend could benefit from the rape an pillage of the resources and some dumb ignorant yank full of USD feels like a hero”
If we brake the law, we have to face the music.
But now, why should some people, like a certain Mr. Headman Sibanda, who has been hunting inside Whange Park, not also face the music??
Is it because he is a member of a certain political party, or is he paying some people?
This is common knowlege. I cannot believe for a moment that Muchinguri does not know this.
The Lions live in Africa,, which is a huge country,,, he went there and injured it,, he didn’t hunt or kill it bravely or nothing, he just shot a crossbow at it,,, he could have stayed home and had a game of Darts.. then some other 2 Ass-Hats hunted it,,,
The killer of Cecil the Lion could be handed over to Zimbabwe law and order in exchange for Gideon Gono and Millicent Mombeshora both from RBZ wanted on International Money laundering charges to be tried in the WORLD COURT how soon can we exchange prisoners