By Brian Ries From Mashable

The American dentist who killed Cecil, a famous African lion in Zimbabwe, during a July bow-hunting trip says he trusted local guides to ensure the hunt was legal — and that he didn’t know the lion was a “local favorite” until the end of the hunt.

Dr. Walter Palmer, who has remained quiet since The Telegraph first identified him as the lion killer (in turn unleashing a wave of criticism), released a statement Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to deflect some of the blame.

“In early July, I was in Zimbabwe on a bow hunting trip for big game. I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted,” he says in the statement.

“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 adds. “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”

Zimbabwean police reportedly said they were “looking for Palmer,” but the dentist says he has not been contacted by any authorities there or in the U.S. about the death of the lion. He says he will “assist them in any inquiries” should they get in contact.

“I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” Palmer says in the statement. It’s an apology likely to get him nowhere with the thousands online who have targeted his business with negative reviews, published his home address and expressed a hope that he meet a similar fate as the lion.

Others began leaving plush lions outside his Bloomington, MN offices in what appears to be a makeshift memorial.

About the hunt
Palmer lured the lion out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on the night of July 1 before shooting him with a bow and arrow. The lion wasn’t killed. More than 40 hours later, a professional hunter found the suffering animal and finished him off with a rifle, before beheading and skinning its carcass for Palmer to bring home as a trophy.

It was confiscated by Zimbabwean authorities as evidence.

Theo Bronkhorst, the hunter with Bushman Safaris who allegedly assisted the dentist in the pursuit of Cecil, was arrested. He says he made a “mistake.”

“It was a magnificent, mature lion. We did not know it was well-known lion. “It was a magnificent, mature lion. We did not know it was well-known lion. I had a license for my client to shoot a lion with a bow and arrow in the area where it was shot,” he told the Telegraph.

Both Bronkhorst and the landowner who hosted the hunt will face a judge on Aug. 6.

Zimbabwe National Parks, in a statement, said “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.”

It is unclear what, if any, charges Palmer could face. Still, nearly 60,000 have signed a petition addressed to Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, demanding “justice” for Cecil the lion by ending the practice of issuing such hunting permits.

Cecil, a beloved lion
Cecil was seen as a huge icon by both tourists and Zimbabweans alike. He is featured in numerous YouTube videos from those who saw him on safaris in Hwange National Park.

He was collared with a GPS device as an (unwilling) participant in an Oxford University wildlife research project.

Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, described the death of Cecil as a “total tragedy” and a loss.

“It’s a tragedy that we are taking something that belongs to future generations and shooting these animals just because somebody is on an ego trip and they can afford it,” Rodrigues told Mashable.

To make matters worse, “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,” conservation authorities told The Guardian.

He had nearly 25.

Jessica Eggert contributed to this report.

IMAGE: A frame from a YouTube video shows Cecil the lion in Hwange, Zimbabwe. VIDEO: YOUTUBE, BRYAN ORFORD/YOUTUBE

For more on this story and video go to: http://mashable.com/2015/07/28/cecil-the-lion-dentist-speaks/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Related story and PETITON:

Cecil the lion’s killer said to be an American dentist who paid $55,000

By Jessica Eggert From Mashable

The man who traveled overseas to hunt and kill Cecil — one of Africa’s most famous lions — has been identified as an American dentist who paid $55,000 for the opportunity.

Walter Palmer, the dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have lured the lion out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on the night of July 1 before shooting him with a bow and arrow. After 40 hours, a professional hunter found the suffering animal and finished him off with a rifle, beheading and skinning the animal to use as a trophy.

Both Cecil’s head and skin have been confiscated by officials to be used as evidence.

Two sources have confirmed the man’s identity to The Telegraph.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority also tweeted the man’s name, adding, “This was an #illegalhunt.” It said the Cecil’s death will affect tourism in Hwange “dramatically.”

Mashable called the dentist’s office on Tuesday and no one picked up the phone. We’ve also emailed to confirm that the dentist was on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe but have not heard back.

On Tuesday, Zimbabwe National Parks released a statement regarding the undecided legality of the hunt.

“Ongoing investigations to date, suggest that the killing of the lion was illegal since the land owner was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015,” it said.

Theo Bronkhorst, the professional hunter with Bushman Safaris who allegedly assisted the dentist in Cecil’s pursuit, reportedly claimed that he admitted the incident to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, saying he made a “mistake.”

Bronkhorst and the landowner are both under arrest and due to appear in court on August 6th.

“Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion “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,” the Zimbabwe National Parks said.

Bronkhorst, for his part, claims he was unaware of Cecil’s fame.

“It was a magnificent, mature lion. We did not know it was well-known lion. I had a license for my client to shoot a lion with a bow and arrow in the area where it was shot,” he told the Telegraph.

A history of hunting big game
A hunting blog called Trophy Hunt America showed images of a man identified as Walter Palmer posing with a 175 lb. leopard he shot and killed in Zimbabwe in 2010 and a Nevada California Bighorn.

The caption of another image posted on the site in 2010, of Palmer posing with a dead elk, boasted that Walt needed “only one more animal … and he will have achieved a long difficult quest of harvesting every species of North American big game.”

Palmer Hunter
Back in 2008, WEAU reported that Palmer was pleading guilty to facing up to five years in prison for illegally hunting a bear in Wisconsin. According to the report, Palmer and other members of the hunting group agreed to lie to authorities about where the animal was killed in order to avoid charges.

Cecil the icon
Cecil was a huge icon for both tourists and Zimbabweans, and was featured in numerous YouTube videos from people who spotted the gentle giant on safaris in Hwange National Park.

Cecil now leaves behind a pride of lions, including females with whom he mated and 24 of his cubs. Those cubs, preservationists say, will now likely be killed by other lions.

Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, told Mashable on Monday that the loss of Cecil is a “total tragedy,” and that the hunt was “absolutely illegal.”

“It’s a tragedy that we are taking something that belongs to future generations and shooting these animals just because somebody is on an ego trip and they can afford it,” Rodrigues said. “How do you bait an animal out of its habitat to kill it and consider it legal?”

Palmer is under some serious heat
The influx of harsh reviews on Yelp since this morning has brought his rating down to one out of five stars. “KILLER!! Dr. Palmer is a disgusting human being consistently showing new lows by killing majestic animals like Cecil. I hope your children will know your evil nature,” user Marcio D. wrote in a review on Yelp.

“I have never seen this doctor – HOWEVER – he is making headlines across the globe for luring a beautiful 13 year old, lion from a protected so he could kill him. I would think twice about seeing a dentist or doctor with this level of dishonesty and cruelty,” wrote user Anne V.

IMAGE: BRENT SINCLAIR/BLOGSPOT
Palmer was also profiled by the New York Times in 2009 which said he was “capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow.”

For more on this story and videos go to: http://mashable.com/2015/07/28/cecil-the-lion-killed-by-dentist/

PETITION

DEMAND JUSTICE FOR CECIL THE LION IN ZIMBABWE

Sign Ruth’s Petition From CARE2 Petitions

Cecil the Lion was the most famous lion in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park – but now he’s dead, and his killer may not even face any jail time.

Ruth started a Care2 petition demanding justice for Cecil’s death – click link at bottom to add your name.

Reporters are working to confirm the horrifying details of Cecil’s death. Here’s what sources are saying: this month an American dentist named Walter James Palmer used bait to lure Cecil out of the park, then shot him with a bow and arrow. Cecil spent hours alive and wounded before the hunters found him, killed him and beheaded him.

Wildlife researcher Dr. Andrew Loveridge says that Cecil and another male lion named Jericho led two prides with a dozen young cubs – and now that Cecil is gone, Jericho won’t be able to protect them all and the cubs will likely die.

The authorities are investigating the case, but even though Palmer admits he killed Cecil, he might not be punished for this awful murder because he paid the government $55,000 for a hunting permit.

Lion populations have dwindled by 92% in the last 30 years, in large part due to poaching and hunting. It’s outrageous that the government of Zimbabwe is still encouraging people to purchase permits to hunt lions for sport.

We have a chance to help if we speak out right now: Cecil’s death and the outrage it has sparked is going viral. His death is being covered by BBC, CNN, The Guardian, CBC News, and hundreds of other outlets. Some outlets are already covering Ruth’s petition.

This exact moment is our best chance to get justice for Cecil, but also to call for the protection of other lions – like his young cubs – by asking Zimbabwe to stop issuing permits for lion killing.

Please add your name to Ruth’s petition. Together, we can mourn Cecil’s death, demand justice, and prevent more innocent lions from a cruel death.

TO SIGN Go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/821/738/351/?z00m=25307640&redirectID=1754738648