Friday, July 31, 2015

Uh-Oh, the Asshole Who Killed Cecil the Lion Might Be Extradited After All

Posted By on Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:00 PM


The environmental minister of Zimbabwe, Oppah Muchinguri, called today for the extradition of the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, according to an article by the New York Times.

At a news conference at Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, Muchinguri said she knows the process to extradite Walter Palmer from the U.S. is already underway, the article says.

"Unfortunately, it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin," a quote from The Associated Press said in the Times article. "We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable."

The U.S. has a treaty with Zimbabwe dictating that if someone is "charged or convicted of an offense punishable under the laws of both countries" that person can be extradited.

Since news of the killing bombarded the web and every single medium of communication, Palmer has apologized for what he did, saying he didn't know it was Cecil the lion he had killed, and that he had relied on his two tour guides to ensure a "legal hunt." 

People flooded his dentistry with stuffed animals and signs in memory of Cecil and ripping Palmer a new one. A sign that stuck out was one that read "ROT IN HELL." Palmer had to close his practice and went into hiding. 

From the Times article:
The killing of Cecil, a tourist attraction who was also the subject of a research at the University of Oxford, has spurred global outrage on social media and beyond...

The killing has been greeted with particular anger in Zimbabwe, and Ms. Muchinguri said 5000,000 people had called for his extradition.

...

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service said on Thursday that it was investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of Cecil. 

Citing what it characterized as alarming trends in illicit hunting and poaching, the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution that supporters say would be the start of a global effort to tackle illegal poaching and trafficking of wildlife. 

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