After investigating the matter, officials in Zimbabwe have decided not to press charges against Walter Palmer, the U.S. dentist and sportsman who hunted and killed Cecil the lion, reports the BBC.
“We approached the police and then the Prosecutor General, and it turned out that [Walter] Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order,” Zimbabwe’s Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri said.
Palmer had insisted all along that he did his due diligence to ensure that his lion hunt was legal.
“I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt,” Palmer said in a statement in late July. “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”
It appears that Palmer was duped and fleeced by the guide who took him on the hunt, and lured the big cat from Hwange National Park so Palmer could shoot it with a compound bow.
Palmer’s Zimbabwean guide, identified as Theo Bronkhurst, is now on trial facing the charge of “failing to prevent an illegal hunt.” Reports indicate that Palmer paid upwards of $50,000 for the hunt.
Word of Cecil’s death spread like wildfire on social media and quickly Palmer was dubbed public enemy number one to such an extent that folks began to threaten not only Palmer but his wife and his daughter as well.
“They’ve been threatened in the social media, and again… I don’t understand that level of humanity to come after people not involved at all,” Palmer said of the threats directed at his wife and daughter.
In the end, one can certainly argue that for whatever injustice was done to the lion, Palmer has certainly paid the price for it, and then some.
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On a personal note, I know this is a hot-button topic that elicits strong reactions from folks all across the gun community. Some believe Palmer should lose his hunting license, and that trophy hunting is morally wrong. Others believe that Palmer is being unfairly criticized for doing what people have done for centuries: kill animals.
Regardless of how you feel on the issue, I suggest you listen to this Radio Lab episode, titled “The Rhino Hunter,” for additional perspective on trophy hunting in Africa. It just may change the way you feel about it.
I do have to wonder out of all the people that verbally abused/threatened him and his family, how many of those people are vegetarians?
they also tend to overlook how much $50k or more into the economy over there actually does, how many people are fed and clothed?
Only sensible expanded bow control laws will put a stop to legal hunting.We need to end the bow show loophole.Sound familiar?
The only problem some have with trophy hunting, is that hunting laws are then made for trophy hunters which then impact the meat hunter for his family. The whole system then changes, and now because some wealthy baron or duke rich guy can (and will) pay $50,000, The land owners now want to charge the guy who hunted because it was cheap meat $50,000 to hunt, AND get my tax dollars when not enough people hunt on their land and the wildlife population increases and they then apply for DAMAGE hunts and all the tax dollar costs to set that up, Then they get subsidized crop and other damage insurance again from my tax dollars. All because laws are made for trophy hunters. Yeah, I think people can kill for fun if they like and it should help the ecosystem, but law-makers have destroyed the environment by not recognizing the dynamics involved, or rather taking money from those with money rather than morally protecting the public. Probably why the public is becoming more and more likely to take the matter of making law into their own hands, now that they feel they are not represented by order.
If you want to kill join the Army. They could use your help and shooting at a target that shoots back is certainly more sporting.
“But Anyway” this kind of publicity does not help the firearms enthusiasts.
The best thing about being a libtard is that you never admit you are wrong, or have to apologize. It amazes me how quickly they all can mobilize to destroy someone who hasn’t broken any laws, but has only offended their sensibilities. I hope that he sues all the assholes that were so quick to attack him.
Good Call! Wasn’t his fault. He did all he could to make sure things were on the up and up. And Management hunts are necessary….and beneficial for even endangered species. Its a fact…..deal with it.
Trophy hunting a wild animal in the wild is not my thing. But I’m not against it. The $50,000 would be put towards a million other things even if I had millions. Personally I think keeping exotic animals in cages for the rest of the animals life is inhumane. Hunting is nature. Caging isn’t.