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

[seafan]

93. Palmer's hunting guide, Theo Bronkhorst, speaks out for the first time

Professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst leaving the Magistrate's Court in Hwange (AFP)

Speaking for the first time since this newspaper revealed that Dr Palmer had fired the arrow that felled the much-loved lion, Theo Bronkhorst has given a detailed account of the July 1 hunt which, he said, went wrong from the start.

On Wednesday, Mr Bronkhorst appeared before magistrates in Hwange, north-western Zimbabwe, and was remanded on bail. He is forbidden from continuing with his hunting business, which he has run since 1992, and has been left devastated by the international fury directed at him since Cecil’s death.

His account of how Cecil came to be killed suggests there was confusion from the outset of Dr Palmer’s trip.

“This hunt… Oh no, it went wrong from the beginning,” Mr Bronkhorst said, speaking from his home in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo.

“When Dr Palmer arrived in Bulawayo, his luggage was missing and I was dashing around looking for it. So we were late getting ready to go,” he said.

“And we were never meant to hunt on the land where this lion was shot. At the last minute I had to divert from a concession (hunting area) about eight miles away.”

(emphasis added)


That is a critically important detail, imho.


It could explain the discrepancy as to Mr Bronkhorst's insistence that he had all the proper permits, yet, the authorities vehemently state he did not have the necessary permits to hunt where this lion was shot. If, at the last minute, Walter Palmer decided he wanted to go to a different location to hunt, other than the properly permitted location, and pressured or bribed Mr. Bronkhorst to change the venue, then that would be a whole new ball game.



Also from the UK Telegraph:

Mr Bronkhorst started his hunting business after being violently evicted from his 1,269-hectare game farm, Southcum, near Kwekwe, in central Zimbabwe, as part of the Mugabe government’s land grab.

“I don’t want to shoot any animals. I do it because it is the only way I can earn a living,” said Mr Bronkhorst, who is married with two grown-up sons.

“I am a farmer. But I lost my farm in 2000 and I am forced to hunt, but have only done so five times in the last year. I like to lead a quiet life. I like breeding game, and am presently trying to increase the number of sable in Zimbabwe, which I am importing from Zambia.”

I hope Mr. Bronkhorst continues to tell this story.