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POLICE IN ZIMBABWE are seeking an American dentist who they say paid $50,000 to shoot a protected lion named Cecil.
The American, named as Walter James Palmer from the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, said that he “believes that he might have” shot the lion.
A spokesperson for Palmer told The Guardian that the killing was legal.
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.
The American faces poaching charges, according to police spokeswoman Charity Charamba.
“We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case,” she said.
The two arrested Zimbabwean men — a professional hunter and a farm owner — face poaching charges, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said in a joint statement.
Killing the lion was illegal because the farm owner did not have a hunting permit, the joint statement said. The lion was skinned and beheaded. The hunters tried to destroy the lion’s collar, fitted with a tracking device, but failed, the statement said.
If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison.
The lion is believed to have been shot at the start of July.
During a nighttime hunt, the men tied a dead animal to their car to lure the lion out of a national park, said Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.
The American is believed to have shot it with a crossbow, injuring the animal.
The wounded lion was found 40 hours later, and shot dead with a gun, Rodrigues said in the statement.
“The saddest part of all is that now that Cecil is dead, the next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho will most likely kill all Cecil’s cubs,” said Rodrigues.
The black-maned Cecil was being studied by Oxford University, conservation groups said.
With reporting from AP.
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I don’t get why they do it, never have, never will. Hunt to eat, as in killing deer and buffalo I get, I know many who do it and the animal is fully butchered and eaten. This crap of shooting and killing for “sport” is wrong on so many levels.
The poor cubs :(
And what’s worse is the animal was left wounded for 40 hours before the they found him and finished him off with a rifle. Why do they have to hunt them with a bow and arrow?
Because it makes no sound. They can do their illegal monstrous acts with less chance of being caught.
Hunting for sport is disgusting, especially when hunting animals that are already under threat or in need of protection.
I have hunted with a compound bow before and in the right hands it is something that is as effective as a rifle. Dreadful that the lion had to suffer and die from its wounds.
I hope he dies horribly the c**.t
The world can certainly do without Palmer anyway. id love to puck the head off him.
Stupid american with too much money and little sense. How would he like to be wounded with a cross bow.
Whatever about the barbaric nature this animal was killed, the sheer indignation to put the animal in a pose and take a picture.
Sick.
I hope he is locked up for the 15 years, he might learn what it’s like to be an endangered species then.
Well there’s no doubting the size of his manhood if he needs this. A-hole.
I thought white rhinos were endangered too. endangered or not it’s sickening. Kill for sustenance, yes. kill to protect livestock, ok. but for sport? No.
Sport me arse, there’s plenty of people in Africa who are very, very capable with bow and arrows and a rifle, if just one of them were to shoot back at this assh0le he wouldn’t call it a sport??
Lock the bas tard up
now that his name, address and phone number are all over the Internet, I genuinely hope his life is ruined forever.
Sean, caged with a pride hungry ones at that.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=river+bluff+dental#lrd=0x87f622d6f87e6c4b:0x55f47b8884252a04,1
feel free to review his practice here/see what other people think
@von he’ll only cause indigestion to the lions. Dip him in honey and place him on a nest of African ants.
He shot the lion with a crossbow, an almost certain way of inflicting an injury but not killing the animal. He then had to follow the wounded animal for 40 hours before it could be finished off with a gun. He also seems to have killed a leopard with a crossbow and, unbelieveably, a white rhino. A hunter shooting a rhino with a rifle would use the heaviest of bullets: what could a crossbow’s arrow do except inflict a non-fatal injury? I wonder how long the rhino had to wait before it too could be killed by a rifle to end its suffering? I have just heard on the BBC news that he has a criminal conviction in the USA for killing a bear outside the permitted area. He is not a hunter but a perverted torturer of animals.
After killing the bear himself and the other who was with him dragged the bear back into the permitted zone & thought they’d get away with it.
What an utter pri(k
A fu%king moron , he should be hunted with a crossbow or better still drop him in Syria and see how he gets on
I think that the lions should have the opportunity of a rematch with the sick minded dentist.
Cast him loose without assistance and a nice pong of fresh hill off him.
See how the dentist runs!
Give the lions a crossbow.
Killing endangered animals for the thrill what a plonker.
Disgusting to see such magnificent animals hunted for fun.
Louis Theroux has done an excellent documentary on the subject:
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/louis-therouxs-african-hunting-holiday/
What the hell is wrong with these people.
He should ask for an Irish judge if he goes to trial.
What’s with all these depressing animal stories, I’m losing the will to live.
I’m patiently waiting for an asteroid to hit earth and wipe out humanity.It’s like we don’t belong here.
It would wipe out the animals too. That’s not very bright now is it?
I’m patiently waiting for a plague that wipes out mankind only.
If you wish death on humanity then you have issues.
animals have been around millions of years.They know how to adapt.Some might die,yes,but it’s better than humans wiping out everthing.No animal or mammal or fish feed exclusively on humans.That’s why they have been here for millions of years.
It is still a moronic wish. Think about it. You would like 7 billion people wiped out because a tiny percentage of that 7 billion act like Neanderthals. If you cannot see that as being over reactionary then you are thick.
I do have issues, mostly with humanity, I know there are plenty of good people out there,but in general I believe it would have been better if we never came into existence at all.
You might want to see a doctor about your issues before you do damage to someone.
I never said I wished it Maurice.I said I patiently waited for it.Wishing is fantasy bullshit,much like your comments.
Bullshit is waiting patiently for 7 billion people to die. There are some right oddballs on this site.
Says the Maurice Dancer.
Oh you got me there. Instead of childish retorts you and your friend there would be better off finding a funeral you can celebrate.
Maurice thinks he can dance towards human harmony.My gran aunt who is 98 is in palliative care and will pass away in the next week or so.We will mourn her death but celebrate it too because she is a great woman.Maybe you can do a dance act at the afters Maurice?.You’ll be well paid.
I’ll give you a thumbs up for that. Your wit is to be admired.
I don’t think he is thick at all. He may suffer from a little too much empathy, but that seems to be in fairly short supply, Maurice.
There’s a great quote from my favourite comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, “Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us”!
I’m not an outstanding animal lover, but with the combination of this story, the guy brutally killing the dog in the park, and the shooting of the falcons, I feel pretty low for humanity at the moment.
What a god-awful mess we are making of natural things right now.
What the fcuk is wrong with people like this? A dentist? Can you just imagine seeing that assh0le looming over you tomorrow saying “now this won’t hurt a bit”, yeah tell that to those animals buddy.
What is trying to do in the pics, show his masculinity or something. Looks like he was bullied as a kid and now wants to show the world how manly he is. Sick fu€k€r
With most not all of these big game hunters the paperwork is in place. This lion was lured out of the safety of the national park where it’s never legal to kill a protected animal. Him claiming he “may be the shooter” rings hollow
given the photo and the tracker in his collar . He should never have shot an animal with a collar period. But a minority of these guys just look to the next trophy (the one they don’t have).
Note how he took the head . It can never be sport to kill any animal with a bow and arrow no matter how powerful or how accurate a shot you are . We have high powered rifles for that job which is normally a clean kill with no lingering pain or distress for the animal
40 hours later is animal cruelty so no matter what permits dead eye dick may possess he must surely be prosecuted for old fashioned base animal cruelty
Beautiful endangered animal killed by an idiot. Humans are destroying the plant every day, soon we will have no wildlife or rain forests left.
There’re too many crazy people in the world. Why kill an animal for game in 21st century. Obviously humans have not evolved that much..Smart technology, stupid people.
They should lock him in a room with a hungry Lion. No weapons allowed.
Where is the merit in killing such an animal like this? All those creatures hanging off his walls as a testament to himself, a white 1%’er whose ignorance and selfishness is literally destroying the world with bows and $$$. I bet nothing happens him either and he goes at it again somewhere else. Wonder would he venture here to the guiness estate or somewhere? Anyway of finding out? Welcome party for him maybe? Not joking.
What hope have the animals have,beyond comprehension
I really can’t understand what the ‘sport’ element of this is. A defenceless animal vs some clown with a high powered rifle; it’s not exactly a fair contest.
Total idioy
There are no words…
What a thoroughbred Pr!ck….!!! He better get the maximum jail sentence and inmates stick forks up his hole
Idiot I mean
Those two should be hunted with a bow and arrow and left to suffer.
Hope he’s proud of himself !!! Hunting for food, culling etc is expectable, hunting for sport is just plain wrong.
complete pr..k what goes around !
What a douche
He has been named and shamed. A dentist in Minnesota. His career is in tatters and I am truly delighted.
F***ing b**ta*d. Just because he has money he thinks he can do as he wishes. Hope he gets 15years as stated in the laws of where he killed the lion.
He needs to be tied to a truck and dragged miles so the lions can finish him off. At least the lions kill would be quicker finishing him off than this bararick form of hunting.
While I am totally against what this man has done, going so far as posting reviews of his business online, emailing his company etc, the end result is an animal has died unnecessarily. It suffered whilst dying, bleeding to death, frightened, confused before it eventually lost the ability to stay alive. It didn’t want to die. Now please consider the above next time you choose to bite into a piece of an animal whose death was absolutely unnecessary. Just because you don’t see its untimely and violent death , does not mean the animal didn’t suffer, frightened and confused before it felt the blade of a knife put against its neck, or a bolt shot between its eyes. There are SO MANY alternatives to animal flesh for food.
I would really love to put an arrow through that horrible sc#%bags brain! Hope he dies a long agonizing death soon….
Ego flipping fools !!!
I would love to put this man out of his misery and put an arrow right through his head!
What a toss pot.
You are a freak of nature, a coward who is travelling around the world to kill endangered species for fun. I hope you loose all your clients, you fails your business and pass the rest of your pathetic life to think how miserable you are.
SHAME ON YOU, VILE GARBAGE
He should be stripped naked and left in the middle of Hwange National Park with his ‘Permits’
Death to Walter Palmer, a waste of skin. I really hope his patients find out what sort of individual he is and take their business elsewhere.
River Bluff Dental – Dr. Walter Palmer
Address: 10851 Rhode Island Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55438
Phone:(952) 884-5361
Surely this guy should actually be shot with his own weapon???
I would be seriously concerned about the mental health of anyone who kills as a hobby.
What I want to know, is while this dentist on Safari, who is filling in for him?
Bet this ” man” has a tiny willy
Would the ” death of a thousand cuts” be appropriate?
Let me get my hands on him. It’ll be a mercy killing and revenge for all the innocent animals he killed in cold blood a$$ hole.
remove his teeth
Catch that evil BAASTARD and give him 10 years.
Absolute piece of human shit!
Appalling
C.u.n.t
A thoroughly nasty bas tard!
Now who is the hunted……..
He should be ashamed of himself
Disgusting. You’d have to be incredibly selfish and lacking in empathy to do something like that
i know who i would like to hunt for free …with a drill…on hammer action.
sick! he should be hunted himself…. probably has a small penis!
Consolation may be that Palmer is hunted and haunted by the media for the rest of his life
i feel sorry for the animals lookin at the pics if i saw him dead i wouldnt give a flyin toss.
for fcuk sake. fcukn muppet.
Don’t Jail him. It would be wrong on all levels. Put him back into the area with a Swiss Army knife and a raw piece of meat and let nature take its course. Karma. Oh yeah only let him wear a pair of Boxer Shorts. Probably sure he would be sniffed out fair quick Wnkr
Pull all his teeth out and feed him to a den of lions
A terrible thing but still not as bad as the guy in Dublin who beat a dog to death
This really doesn’t sound good. This kind of behavior does not help the reputation of hunters or wildlife management. Big game hunting is highly regulated and brings Millions into the economy. The fees pay for wildlife wardens, land buy backs, and the tourist industry that supports it. The local people actually protect the land and animals because the industry is so vital to economy and preservation of the species. This sounds like a bogus guide and unethical hunter.
Shame on you
Maybe this guy needs to know what the sharp end of his crossbow feels like….?
I think this dentist is LION through his TEETH. He should just man up and tell the TOOTH. A friend of a friend knows his wife and apparently her name is RUTH CANAL, and she has been FILLING us all in.
Fu-cking bas—-
Look at the bright side – if you have the money in Zimbabwe they will let you hunt the dentists and his children as well. I smell a kickstarter campaign…
How anyone can get enjoyment from killing such a majestic animal is beyond me. What a sick and twisted individual.
Walter J Palmer Sr
952-884-5361
11413 Landing Rd Eden Prairie, MN 55347-4951
This over compensating, coward should be nutered. Death is no sport.
some very good shooting with a crossbow
this is why we cant have nice things
What is this madness with American men and weapons, it is pathetic really and they do not get it…
They all knew rightly, was the GPS Collar not a giveaway…
It makes me sick how rich people think they can do ANYTHING THEY LIKE and then act dumb and get away with it…
have your say