Walter Palmer is a dentist from Minnesota who illegally hunted and killed Cecil the Lion, the most popular attraction at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, reported Deadspin.
Palmer is accused of bribing wildlife guards with $55,000 to allow him to stalk and kill Cecil. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force confirmed that Palmer used a dead animal tied to his vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park at night. Palmer then shot up Cecil with arrows and tracked the animal for 40 hours. Palmer then used a gun to kill Cecil and “skinned and beheaded [Cecil] and left his corpse to rot in the wilderness.” Cecil had six cubs that he tended to that will most likely die.
Baiting and killing animals at night, like what Palmer did to Cecil, is highly illegal. Palmer has a history of illegally killing large game. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to lying to federal wildlife officers about the location of where he killed a black bear in Wisconsin. He didn’t get much of a punishment, a $3,000 fine and one year of probation.
Cecil was considered a “local favorite” and reportedly enjoyed having human contact. “He never bothered anybody,” said Johnny Rodriguez, head of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. “He was one of the most beautiful animals to look at.”
It’s still unknown whether charges will be brought against Palmer, but he reportedly had no permit to hunt in the region. This scumbag should be charged and locked up for a long time.
