Zimbabwe Official Urges Extradition of Dentist Who Killed Cecil the Lion

The killing of Cecil, who was the subject of research at the University of Oxford, has spurred global outrage on social media and beyond, and forced Dr. Walter J. Palmer into hiding.

Zimbabwe's environment minister called on Friday for the extradition of the American dentist who killed Cecil, a 13-year-old lion.

The minister, Oppah Muchinguri, said the dentist, Dr. Walter J. Palmer, a big-game hunter from Minnesota, had broken Zimbabwe's laws. At a news conference in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, Ms. Muchinguri said that she understood the process was already underway to have him extradited from the United States and that the "foreign poacher" needed to be held accountable for his actions.

"Unfortunately, it was too late to apprehend the foreign
poacher, as he had already absconded to his country of
origin," she was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

"We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his
extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable."

Ms. Muchinguri said that Dr. Palmer's use of a crossbow and arrow to shoot the lion before eventually killing him with a gun had breached Zimbabwe's hunting rules.

The lion is thought to have been lured out of his protected habitat in Hwange National Park, and his head was taken as a trophy for the hunter.

Zimbabwe's environment minister, Oppah Muchinguri,
called on Friday for the extradition of Dr. Palmer.
AARON UFUMELI / EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
The killing of Cecil, a tourist attraction who was also the
subject of research at the University of Oxford, has spurred global outrage on social media and beyond, forcing Dr. Palmer, 55, into hiding. The killing has been greeted with particular anger in Zimbabwe, where many people have called for Dr. Palmer's extradition.

Dr. Palmer has said he depended on his guides to ensure that the hunt complied with the law. Two Zimbabwean citizens have been arrested in relation to the killing.

"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," Dr. Palmer said in a statement on Tuesday.
"I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt." The United States has a treaty with Zimbabwe under which someone charged with or convicted of an offense punishable in both countries can be extradited.

The treaty defines an "extraditable offense" as "one punishable under the laws of both contracting states by deprivation of liberty for a period of more than one year or by a more severe penalty."

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of Cecil. On Friday, a spokeswoman, Vanessa Kauffman, said that the agency had been in contact with Dr. Palmer.

"Late yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement was contacted by a
representative of Dr. Walter Palmer," Ms. Kauffman said in a statement.

"The service's investigation is ongoing and appreciates that Dr. Palmer's representative voluntarily reached out to the service."

The agency's law enforcement unit has coordinated with the Justice Department to investigate previous cases involving American hunters who illegally killed animals in other countries.

Last October, the Justice Department charged two South African men who had operated a safari company with conspiracy, mail fraud, money laundering and structuring bank deposits to avoid reporting requirements. The men were also charged with violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that prohibits selling animal hunts conducted in violation of state, federal, tribal or foreign law.

Citing what it characterized as alarming trends in illicit
hunting and poaching, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday that supporters say would be the start of a global effort to address the illegal poaching and trafficking of wildlife.
Katie Rogers contributed reporting.