Walter Palmer is in hiding after the huge near global outrage for him killing a beloved African Lion. Things are getting worse for Palmer by the hour.
Usually public outrage is very short-lived and it lasts for a limited amount of time. This time though, Palmer won’t be forgotten. People have been coming to his dental clinic which had to close completely. The front door of the clinic is covered in stuffed animals to remember Cecil the lion, plus there are many posters wishing Palmer… let’s say “bad luck”.
The dentist hasn’t been seen since the news broke out. He hasn’t made any comments apart from the one claiming he thought everything was legal and is basically sorry for the reactions the killing of Cecil has caused. The US authorities are still searching for Palmer and to make matters worse for him, the Zimbabwean environment minister has called for the extradition of Palmer from the US to Zimbabwe so he can face trial for financing an illegal hunt. The local authorities are not buying the excuse that Palmer thought everything was in order. The process about the extradition is already started.
Edward Grace, the USFWS deputy chief of law enforcement, said the service was investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of Cecil. “That investigation will take us wherever the facts lead,” he said, adding that the service “will assist Zimbabwe officials in whatever manner requested. “It is up to all of us – not just the people of Africa – to ensure that healthy, wild populations of animals continue to roam the savanna for generations to come”, Grace adds, as reported by The Guardian.
So far Palmer has killed at least 43 different animals including a polar bear, a mountain lion, an elephant and another African lion, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune using records it has obtained. Each of those acts is a tragedy in our opinion. Hunting for trophies should be banned globally.
One of the men who assisted Palmer in the killing of Cecil has said that Palmer also wanted to kill another elephant during the safari, but wanted an animal so big it was near impossible to find. Palmer has paid 55 000 dollars for the atrocity.
The Zimbabwean authorities are urging Palmer to come out of hiding and contact them, so the investigation and trials can continue and find out exactly what lead to all of this. So far though, the dentist has chosen to hide…
