DT News - MEA - Dentist who killed lion closes practice and disappears after massive protests

Dental Tribune International

Sat. 1 August 2015

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BLOOMINGTON, Minn., USA/DETE, Zimbabwe: In record time, Dr. Walter James Palmer has become infamous all over the world. The dentist from Minnesota, who is dominating the news, has made himself a name with his questionable passion for hunting wild animals. After trophy hunter Palmer killed Cecil, a well-loved lion in Zimbabwe, Africa, he has been unable to continue working, as protestors are demonstrating in front of his practice, causing the unpopular dentist to close his business and seek to justify his presumably illegal actions to his patients.

In a video statement, a Zimbabwe safari operator confirmed that Palmer had killed the 13-year-old lion, who was part of an ongoing conservation study at the University of Oxford and the Hwange National Park's favorite attraction, well known in other parts of the world. According to the operator, Palmer paid approximately US$55,000 to shoot the animal. As stated by an expert at the university's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit who had tracked Cecil by GPS for the past several years, the lion's death will most likely lead to the killing of up to ten cubs in Cecil's pride by rival lions owing to the complex social structure of lions.

The famous lion was shot on 1 July; however, the identity of Cecil’s killer and a photograph showing a proudly smiling Palmer with the dead animal only spread widely this week, resulting in a public uproar. Protestors called Palmer's office and left comments on his website. Angry people bearing posters gathered in front of the River Bluff Dental practice in Bloomington and outside Palmer's home in protest. Social media channels are full of remarks of disgust and petitions have been launched in several languages, including the “Demand justice for Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe” petition, which has already garnered almost a million signatures, demanding Palmer's extradition to Zimbabwe to face justice. In response to these negative reactions worldwide, Palmer has decided to close his practice.

In a letter that the 55-year-old dentist issued to his "valued patients" on Tuesday, he sought to defend the killing: "In addition to spending time with my family, one of my passions outside dentistry is hunting. I've been a life-long hunter since I was a child growing up in North Dakota. I don't often talk about hunting with my patients because it can be a divisive and emotionally charged topic. […] I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion." Palmer also informed patients that he cannot currently practice: "The media interest in this matter—along with a substantial number of comments and calls from people who are angered by this situation and by the practice of hunting in general—has disrupted our business and our ability to see our patients."

Palmer has a long history of hunting animals. A Flickr album under the name of Walt Palmer shows a number of photographs of the dentist posing with dead animals, including several bison, a California Desert Bighorn Sheep, deer, a white rhino (a species with a Near Threatened conservation status), an elk and a brown bear. In addition to the public backlash, Palmer may soon have legal trouble over the killing of Cecil because—contrary to his statement that the hunt was legal—it appears from a statement by the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force that he lured the lion out of the national park that was his home and where he was safe since bow hunting is not permissible in national parks in Zimbabwe, according to the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association. Once out of the park, Cecil was shot by Palmer with a crossbow. According to reports, the wounded lion did not die until 40 hours later, when he was tracked down and shot with a rifle. After its death, the animal was placed for a photograph with Palmer and one of his guides, and then decapitated and skinned. Cecil's abandoned corpse was discovered by officials, as was his tracking collar. It would not be the first time Palmer broke the law to kill an animal. According to a New York Times article from 2009, "court records show, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal wildlife officials concerning the exact location of the slaying of a black bear during a guided hunt in Wisconsin."

Cecil's death draws attention to the issue of trophy hunting. Tourists from all over the world travel to Africa and pay vast sums of money to obtain permission to kill wild and often protected animals. According to statistics published by The Telegraph, about 18,500 tourists—including public figures like King Carlos of Spain—go trophy hunting in Africa each year, killing approximately 105,000 animals, including lions, rhinos, elephants and leopards. Several African countries allow safari hunting.

As for Palmer, the hunter has now become the hunted. Ongoing protests in front of his practice and house have caused the dentist to shut his practice, close down his website and Facebook page, and go into hiding from the public. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing of the lion, has not been able to reach Palmer.

On Friday, Zimbabwe's environment minister Oppah Muchinguri stated that the hunt was illegal and called for Palmer to be extradited.

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