The Killers Of The Most Famous African Lion Cecil, To Appear In Court Tomorrow

US dentist sought by Zimbabwe authorities over killing of famous African lion Cecil
Cecil, a lion popular with tourists in Zimbabwe, is believed to have been killed by game hunter Walter Palmer
A US game hunter has sparked outrage after he reportedly shot dead one of Africa's most famous lions.

Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minneapolis, has admitted that he may have shot the 13-year-old lion, a star attraction at the Hwange national park, his spokesman told The Guardian.
The American now faces poaching charges, according to police spokeswoman Charity Charamba.

Cecil, a lion popular with tourists in Zimbabwe, is believed to have been killed by game hunter Walter Palmer
"We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case," she said.


Cecil, who conservationists say enjoyed human contact, was lured out of the park by guides and was wounded by a bow and arrow. The hunters tracked him down 40 hours later and shot him.

Palmer, a prolific hunter, had paid $50,000 (£32,000) to guides for the chance to shoot a lion, his spokesman said.

Palmer's current where abouts are unknown.
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Cecil's remains were found skinned and beheaded on the outskirts of the park. His head and pelt are still missing.
Since 1999, Cecil has been part of an Oxford University research project that required him to wear a GPS collar.

Johnny Rodrigues, from the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, said the hunters had tried but failed to destroy the collar, which tracked the animal's last movements.
Two people believed to have organised the hunt for Mr Palmer were arrested following the killing of Cecil earlier this month and are due in court tomorrow.
They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil.

They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park.
Mr Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow but this shot didn't kill him.

They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun.
Zimbabwe National Parks issued a statement confirming the charges.

Theo Bronkhorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris, is facing criminal charges for allegedly killing a collared lion on Antoinette farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange district on 1 July 2015.
All persons implicated in this case are due to appear in court facing poaching charges.

Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt.
Cecil had a distinctive black mane

"It was a magnificent, mature lion," said Mr Bronkhorst ahead of his appearance at Hwange magistrates court.

"We did not know it was well-known lion. I had a licence for my client to shoot a lion with a bow and arrow in the area where it was shot."

If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison.
Conservationists said that as a consequence of Cecil's death, the lion's six cubs are also likely to perish.

"The next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho will most likely kill all Cecil's cubs so that he can insert his own bloodline into the females," Mr Rodrigues said. "This is standard procedure for lions."

Palmer was interviewed by the New York Times in 2009 about his record-breaking kill of an elk.

At the time, Palmer, a father-of-two, was on probation after lying about where he had killed a black bear in Wisconsin three years earlier.