Zimbabwe: We Want Cecil The Lion’s Killer Extradited To ‘Be Held Accountable For His Illegal Action’

Zimbabwe is calling for the killer of Cecil the lion to be sent to them, and they’re “very happy” about support from US on social media.

Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who earlier this month, shot a protected lion named Cecil with a bow and arrow, then tracked him for forty hours before killing him with a shotgun, is officially wanted for extradition by Zimbabwe.

“We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be held accountable for his illegal action,” Zimbabwe environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said at a press conference yesterday.

NBC News reports 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.”

LOOK: United Nations And US Government Investigating, Taking Action After Cecil The Lion Killed

Muchinguri, who has called Palmer a “foreign poacher,”  said she is “very happy” for the international outcry. “I’ve been following on Facebook that almost 500,000 people are calling for his extradition, and we need that support.”

She insisted Zimbabwe is taking the issue “very seriously.”

The BBC reports Muchinguri wants Palmer extradited to “be held accountable for his illegal action,” and notes that his use of a bow and arrow “was in contravention of Zimbabwean hunting regulations.”

“As we frantically try to protect our wildlife from organized gangs such as this one, there are people… who can connive to undermine Zimbabwean laws,” Muchinguri said.

“One can conclude with confidence that Dr Palmer, being an American citizen, had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relationship between Zimbabwe and the USA.”

A White House petition started by activist Scott Wooledge, asking the Obama administration to allow Palmer to be extradited has garnered over 165,000 signatures in less than three days. The White House says the administration will address it.

 

EARLIER:

Look: Right Now Hundreds Are Protesting At The Dental Office Owned By Killer Of Cecil The Lion

Ted Nugent On Cecil The Lion: ‘God Are People Stupid’ – ‘Story Is A Lie’ And A ‘Joke’

Calls Mount For Dentist Who Shot Famous Lion To Death To Be Extradited

 

Image: Screenshot via NBC News