A Minnesota dentist has been publicly condemned for killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe, and a hired guide has been charged with a crime. Here are some details about the case that has gained global attention.
THE HUNTER
Walter James Palmer, 55, is a dentist in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington. He’s an active big-game hunter and has many kills to his name. His clinic’s website, which is no longer online, said he enjoys outdoor activities and, “Anything allowing him to stay active and observe and photograph wildlife is where you will find Dr. Palmer when he not in the office.”
In a letter to patients, he said that he rarely talked about his hunting with them because he understands they may have different views and it is a “divisive and emotionally charged topic.”
THE HUNT
Palmer, a bow hunter, hired local guides for an early summer hunting trip in Zimbabwe.
During their hunt, Palmer used an arrow to hit a lion that authorities said was lured from a protected wildlife preserve. The guides had tied a dead animal to their car to draw the lion out of a national park, said Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. They tracked the wounded animal for 40 hours before it was shot dead with a gun, according to Rodrigues. (continue reading at WKRN)