A 40-Hour Chase That Led To The Shooting, Beheading And Skinning Of Zimbabwe's Cecil The Lion

The Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe has lost its most loved inhabitant. 'Cecil The Lion', as he was fondly known, was ruthlessly chased down by his hunters after an alleged 40-hour chase.

African Bush Camps

The lion, who was a popular attraction for locals and tourists, was offered bait and lured outside the park boundary, after which he was killed by Walter James Palmer, a wealthy American dentist who apparently paid $50,000 for the hunt.

"The offender is a gentleman who is an American called Walter James Palmer," confirmed Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe. Fundira remembered Cecil as "almost semi-domesticated" and sees his absence from the park as a "disaster".

According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force charity, Palmer was accompanied by a famous Zimbabwean hunter, Theo Bronnkhorst, who ventured into the night with a spotlight and a dead animal tied to their vehicle for attracting Cecil towards them.

"Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow but this shot didn't kill him. They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun," alleges the charity.

Cecil's hunters also tried to hide the lion's GPS collar, albeit unsuccessfully, which was a part of a research programme being conducted by University of Cambridge. The charity further alleges that the lion was "skinned and beheaded" and currently the whereabouts of his head are unknown.

Archive video of Cecil during his prime

The safari operators at the park fondly remember Cecil, who was 13 years old, as an "iconic" animal who was famously identified by his "distinctive black mane".

AFP

Palmer, who hails from Minnesota, is an experienced hunter who has travelled the world to pursue leopards, rhinos, buffaloes, elks, and other animals. In 2008, Palmer had pleaded guilty for poaching a black bear and said that he "relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt."

Facebook

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

The palpating outrage on social media saw over 10,000 tweets with the hashtag #CecilTheLion. An online petition demanding "justice for Cecil" has also received 95,000 signatures till now.

(With inputs from The Times of India)