The Zimbabwean environment minister has called for the dentist who killed Cecil the lion to be extradited from the US to face trial for financing an illegal hunt.
Oppah Muchinguri told a news conference that Walter Palmer, 55, was a “foreign poacher” and said she understood Zimbabwe’s prosecutor general had started the process to have him extradited.
“Unfortunately it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin,” she told a news conference on Friday. “We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable.”
Muchinguri’s remarks come as the White House faces mounting pressure to address a petition for Palmer’s extradition to Zimbabwe.
The petition has collected more than 160,000 signatures since it was launched last Tuesday, exceeding its stated goal of reaching 100,000 signatures by 27 August.
“We urge the Secretary of State John Kerry and the Attorney General Loretta Lynch to fully cooperate with the Zimbabwe authorities and to extradite Walter Palmer promptly at the Zimbabwe government’s request,” the petition read.
A White House spokesman said on Thursday that the Obama administration will respond to the petition, which it must to do within 60 days.
A separate Care2 petition condemning Palmer and demanding justice for Cecil has racked up nearly one million signatures from people across the world.
A bilateral extradition treaty between the US and Zimbabwe has been in effect since April 2000 in cases where an individual is charged with what would be a criminal offence in both countries.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) said on Thursday it was investigating the illegal killing of the lion by the Minnesota dentist and whether any US laws were broken. The service was “voluntarily” contacted by a representative of Palmer on Friday after “multiple” attempts to reach him were unsuccessful, spokesperson Vanessa Kauffman said. Kauffman confirmed that the Service’s investigation was ongoing.
Palmer, a keen big game hunter who posts pictures of his kills on social media, is said to have paid around $50,000 (£32,000) for the chance to kill Cecil, a protected 13-year-old lion famous for his black-fringed mane, in Zimbabwe’s Hwange national park earlier this month.
The lion was reportedly lured to outside the park’s boundaries and wounded with a bow and arrow, before being shot dead hours later.
Cecil the lion Zimbabwe asks US to extradite dentist outcry against the killer from Animal organization 美國醫生殺獅事件,for more inforamtion about china world news visit site at [ Ссылка ] as well as business website at [ Ссылка ]
