Cecil hunter Walter Palmer 'wanted to kill an elephant after killing the lion'

[seafan]

91. So, where is Walter Palmer?

Last edited Fri Jul 31, 2015, 05:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Daily Mail, July 31st 2015 2PM

It is a question the Fish and Wildlife Service would very much like answered and soon, as it emerged they were investigating whether the killing of Cecil was part of a conspiracy to violate a U.S. law against illegal wildlife trading.

The service said they are investigating the hunt under the Lacey Act, a U.S. law that bars trading in wildlife that has been illegally killed, transported or sold.

.....

This comes as the petition to extradite Dr, Palmer to Zimbabwe exceeded the required 100,000 signatures, and the White House confirmed it will respond to all petitions that meet that level.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it is up to the Justice Department to respond to an extradition order, raising the possibility that Dr. Palmer would be sent to Zimbabwe, should the African nation make a formal request.


edited to add: (It is reported today that Zimbabwe is preparing a formal request.)

And while Dr. Palmer is adamant he knowingly acted within the law and paid $55,000 for a legal permit to kill a lion, Zimbabwe has charged one of his two guides with poaching.

Pursuit of the Lacey Act is also noted here:

Palmer’s actions could have violated the U.S. Lacey Act, a conservation law meant to shield animals from harm. The act, tied to a United Nations treaty for the protection of animals, governs the actions of Americans who violate the laws of foreign governments.

Grace also said the State Department is looking into the matter in Africa. Officials at the State Department did not respond to a request to confirm that information. The three agencies often work closely to investigate crimes against wildlife, often involving the poaching of elephants and rhinoceros throughout southern Africa.

Most recently, they combined forces to investigate Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris in Montgomery, Ala., which led to charges last year for Lacey Act violations, conspiracy, mail fraud, selling illegal rhinoceros hunts not sanctioned by the government and illegally trading rhinoceros horn, which can bring up to $45,000 per pound.

Meanwhile, the hunt for Walter Palmer expands.



Nobody home: Since he was identified as the killer of Cecil the lion on Tuesday, Dr. Walter Palmer or his family have not been seen at his Eden Prarie, Minneapolis home



House sitting? A unidentified man arrives at Dr. Palmer's Minneapolis home on Thursday as the wait continues for the reviled dentist to surface


The man collects the mail from the Palmer residence. It was the first sign of life at the Minneapolis mansion since the identity of Cecil's killer was confirmed on Tuesday

Not at the office:

Closed for business: Dr. Palmer's dental practice abruptly closed on Tuesday morning - patients were even turned away so sudden was the decision


Not at his Florida home:

Quiet: The Marco Island home of Dr. Walter Palmer is unoccupied in Florida. The dentist is facing calls from federal agencies to contact them immediately


A news crew with WINK news of Fort Myers wraps up a live shoot outside a house owned by dentist Dr. Walter Palmer on Marco Island, Florida, on Wednesday

Zimbabwe’s top wildlife regulator said this week that the kill was illegal because Bronkhorst, the guide, lacked the proper hunting permit for a lion kill for 2015. The charge was repeated by prosecutors at his hearing on Wednesday.

Zimbabwean authorities confirmed on Friday that they will seek the extradition of an American dentist who killed a lion that was lured out of a national park and shot with a bow and a gun.

Zimbabwe's wildlife minister says extradition is being sought for Walter J. Palmer, the Twin Cities big-game hunter and dentist implicated in the killing of Cecil, a prized research lion in Zimbabwe.

Oppah Muchinguri, environment, water and climate minister, told a news conference Friday: "We want him tried in Zimbabwe because he violated our laws. ... Police should take the first step to approach the prosecutor general who will approach the Americans. The processes have already started."

"Unfortunately it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin," Muchinguri said. "We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable."

Muchinguri noted the worldwide attention the case has received.

"There has been an outcry," she said. "Almost 500,000 people are calling for his extradition and we need this support."

Separately on Thursday, the head of Zimbabwe’s safari industry association told the Star Tribune that he believes bribery was involved in the hunt because Palmer’s guide did not have proper hunting licenses and permits.

“There had to be [bribes],” said Emmanuel Fundira, president of Zimbabwe’s Safari Operators Association. “The documents which they used for carrying out the hunt were all illegal and fraudulently obtained.”

There is video of Oppah Muchinguri, environment, water and climate minister in Zimbabwe at the link.


An additional quote from her:

“As we frantically try to protect our wildlife from organized gangs such as this one, there are people… who can connive to undermine Zimbabwean laws. One can conclude with confidence that Dr Palmer, being an American citizen, had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relationship between Zimbabwe and the USA.”

Turn on the TV, Mr. Palmer. You are hunted, just as methodically as you stalked, lured and murdered your defenseless prey.

Words cannot express the revulsion the world's people have for you.

The exact nature of the U.S. investigation remains unclear. African lions are not listed under the core U.S. wildlife protection statute, the Endangered Species Act. A second law, which bans the import of wildlife killed under illegal circumstances, would not come into play because Palmer did not try to bring the lion’s carcass home, lawyers say. A third U.S. statute forbids bribery of foreign officials by Americans traveling overseas, but attorneys said this week it’s not clear if that law would come into play.

We don't yet know that Palmer didn't bring some body part of that lion back into the U. S.

Unlawful poaching of big game is illegal in both the U. S. and Zimbabwe.


We must find Walter Palmer.



(via WP)