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Minnesota dentist says he regrets killing Cecil the lion

By Danielle Haynes
Wildlife officials in Zimbabwe said the foreign hunter allegedly responsible for killing Cecil the lion was Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer. Screenshot courtesy of Bryan Orford/YouTube
Wildlife officials in Zimbabwe said the foreign hunter allegedly responsible for killing Cecil the lion was Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer. Screenshot courtesy of Bryan Orford/YouTube

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 28 (UPI) -- A Minnesota dentist said Tuesday he regrets killing a popular African lion named Cecil while on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe, a kill he believed to be legal at the time.

Walter James Palmer, a dentist in Bloomington, Minn., issued a statement to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, admitting he killed Cecil during a bow hunting trip in early July.

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He said he paid professional guides for a private safari to stalk the 13-year-old lion and kill him. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said the group of hunters allegedly lured Cecil out of the protected Hwange National Park using bait.

"To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted," Palmer said in his statement.

Cecil was shot with an arrow and stalked for 40 hours before he was shot with a gun. The lion's decapitated and skinned body was found by wildlife officials using a GPS tracker.

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Cecil had been tagged and studied for years by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University and was regularly identified and observed by tourists on safari.

"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 said. "I relied on the expertise of my local professionals to ensure a legal hunt."

Andrew Loveridge, one of the researchers with the Oxford project, told National Geographic Cecil's death could have lasting repercussions for his pride and a fellow coalition pride with another male named Jericho. Between the two male lions, they had six lionesses and about a dozen cubs.

"Jericho as a single male will be unable to defend the two prides and cubs from new males that invade the territory. This is what we most often see happening in these cases. Infanticide is the most likely outcome," Loveridge said.

He said recent research has also shown lion populations that have been socially disrupted are at more risk of coming into conflict by entering human communities.

"This is largely because movement patterns become erratic and lions are more likely to leave the park," Loveridge said.

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The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said Theo Bronchorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris, faces criminal charges for his alleged involvement in Cecil's shooting because he was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for the year. Honest Trymore Ndlovu, the landowner where Cecil was killed, was also being accused of colluding with the hunters.

On Tuesday, Palmer's office was closed for the day with a notice on the door referring visitors to a public relations firm. He had also shut down his practice's Facebook page after it was inundated with messages criticizing his alleged actions.

"You utter utter scum," one comment read. "You should be in jail, and you should hang your head in shame."

It's unclear if Palmer will face poaching charges in Zimbabwe, the BBC reported.

"We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case," police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said.

Palmer said authorities in neither Zimbabwe nor the United States have been in contact with him about the hunt, but he said he "will assist them in any inquiries they may have.

"Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion," Palmer said.

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