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Walter Palmer, Cecil the Lion killer, will not face charges because his 'papers were in order'

Walter Palmer shot Cecil dead in July

Caroline Mortimer

Monday 12 October 2015 14:26 BST

Walter Palmer (Reuters )

The US dentist who shot Cecil the Lion dead will not face charges because his papers were in order.

Walter Palmer provoked worldwide condemnation when he shot the famous lion dead near Hwange National Park in July.

Mr Palmer has repeatedly insisted he believed the hunt to be legal but animal rights campaigners called for his extradition to Zimbabwe to face charges.

According to Reuters, Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri told reporters: "We approached the police and then the Prosecutor General, and it turned out that Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order."

His guide, Theo Bronkhorst, and local landowner, Honest Ndlovu, were arrested in Zimbabwe and charged with failing to prevent an illegal hunt.

Cecil the lion was shot by Dr Palmer in July (AP)

13-year-old Cecil the Lion was believed to have been lured out of his protected enclosure before being shot by Dr Palmer with a bow and arrow. He was then tracked for approximately 40 hours before being shot to death.

He was being tracked by the University of Oxford using a GPS collar for a study by their Wildlife Conservation Research Unit.

The dentist from Minnesota and his family were forced into hiding for six weeks after protesters picketed his dental surgery and he received death threats.

His Florida holiday home was vandalised in August with "Lion killer" written on the garage door and pickled pigs' feet left in the front driveway.

Last month, President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace waded into the debate saying Dr Palmer should be left alone.

The most controversial animal killings

Show all 6

1/6The most controversial animal killings

The most controversial animal killings

Cincinnati Zoo worker shots and kills Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla

Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla was shot and killed by a Cincinnati Zoo worker after a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosure and was grabbed and dragged by Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to kill Harambe. A number of primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals in close proximity to humans and the need for better standards of care

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

The most controversial animal killings

Walt Palmer (left), from Minnesota, who killed Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion (pictured here with another lion shot in Africa)

Walter James Palmer has been named by Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force as the shooter of Cecil, a 13-year-old prized lion. He is now wanted by Zimbabwe officials on poaching charges. The lion was protected and the subject of a decade long study by the Wildlife Unit of Oxford University in the UK. He was outfitted with a GPS collar and was killed in Hwange National Park. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said that two men were charged with poaching in connection to Mr Palmer

The most controversial animal killings

Kendall Jones hunting images

Kendall Jones, a 19-year-old Texas Tech university student, has provoked worldwide fury after posting pictures of herself smiling next to animals she hunted, including a lion, rhinoceros, antelope, leopard, elephant, zebra and hippopotamus

The most controversial animal killings

Rebecca Francis hunting images

Rebecca Francis, a huntress who has killed dozens of wild animals has been sent death wishes by furious social media users after a picture showing her lying down next to a dead giraffe was circulated. Rebecca Francis has a website and Facebook page dedicated to the animals she has killed in hunts across Africa and America. Francis, a prolific hunter who has also co-hosted the television show Eye of the Hunter, regularly posts pictures of herself posing next to dead bears, giraffes, buffaloes and zebras, among other animals. She uses a bow and arrow to kill her prey

The most controversial animal killings

The slaughter of Marius, an 18-month-old healthy giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen Zoo made the controversial decision to euthanise a healthy giraffe named Marius, which was later dissected and fed to lions as visitors watched. The slaughter sparked a furious backlash from social media users and zoo staff have received death threats by phone and email. Soon after the incident, Copenhagen Zoo faced an international outcry once again after four healthy lions were put down

The most controversial animal killings

Swiss Dählhölzli zoo kills healthy brown bear cub

A Switzerland zoo faced heavy criticism from animal rights groups, after keepers put down a healthy brown bear cub to spare it from being bullied by its dominant male father. The 360 kg male bear Misha had already killed one of his 11-week old cubs in public and was bullying the second, staff at the zoo said, because he was jealous of the attention the cubs were receiving from their mother, Masha. Both adult brown bears had been donated to Bern’s Dählhölzli zoo in 2009. Campaigners condemned staff there for not separating the cubs, who are being referred to as Baby Bear Two and Baby Bear Three, and their mother from Misha after their birth in January

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She said: "I say the dentist who killed the lion must be left alone" and said he "was not aware of the importance of Cecil", reported the Johannesburg-based Rand Daily Mail.

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