Hunter of Cecil the lion says he did 'nothing wrong'

Protesters call attention to the alleged poaching of Cecil the lion in the parking lot of Dr Walter Palmer's River Bluff Dental Clinic on July 29, 2015 in Bloomington, Minnesota. Dr Palmer paid at least $50,000 for the hunt. PHOTO | ADAM BETTCHER |  GETTY IMAGES/AFP.

In Summary

• Theo Bronkhorst says he was shocked to find the animal was wearing a tracking collar.
• He was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being charged with "failing to prevent an illegal hunt" when he led the expedition in early July.
• He is due to stand trial on August 5.

JOHANNESBURG,

Professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst told AFP on Friday he did nothing wrong on the hunt that killed Cecil the lion, adding he was shocked to find the animal was wearing a tracking collar.

"I don't believe I failed in any duties at all, I was engaged by a client to do a hunt for him and we shot an old male lion that I believed was past his breeding age. I don't think that I've done anything wrong," Bronkhorst said in telephone interview.

Mr Bronkhurst's client, US dentist Walter Palmer, has gone into hiding amid a global outpouring of anger after he used a bow and arrow to shoot Cecil, a popular draw for tourists at the Hwange National Park.

EXTREMELY DEVASTED

"Both I and the client were extremely devastated that this thing had a collar on because at no time did we see a collar on this lion prior to shooting it.

"We were devastated... I left the collar there at the bait site and unfortunately that was stupid of me and negligent of me."

Bronkhorst was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being charged with "failing to prevent an illegal hunt" when he led the expedition in early July.

He is due to stand trial on August 5.

BOW HUNTING

"We had obtained the permit for bow hunting, we had obtained the permit for the lion from the council," he said, speaking from Bulawayo.

"We had done everything above board.

"I don't foresee any jail sentence at all, I think it's been blown out of proportion by social media and I think it's been a deliberate ploy to ban all hunting and especially lion hunting in Zimbabwe."

Zimbabwe on Friday called for the extradition of Walter Palmer.

SHOT THE LION

Palmer allegedly paid $50,000 for the hunt earlier this month in which he shot the lion with a powerful bow and arrow at night, close to Hwange national park in the west of Zimbabwe.

Cecil, who had a distinctive black mane, was a popular tourist attraction at the park and was also wearing a tracking collar as part of a University of Oxford research project.

"We are appealing to the responsible authorities for (Palmer's) extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be made accountable for his illegal actions," Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri told reporters in Harare.

"It was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin."

GRANTED BAIL

Palmer, who is also being investigated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service over Cecil's killing, has apologised and said he was misled by professional guide Theo Bronkhorst.

Bronkhorst, who organised the expedition, was granted bail by the Hwange court on Wednesday after being charged with "failing to prevent an illegal hunt".

Muchinguri gave a political spin to Cecil's death.

"Palmer, being an American citizen, had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relation between Zimbabwe and the United States," she alleged.

US SANCTIONS

The US imposed sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on long-ruling President Robert Mugabe and members of his inner circle after 2002 elections, which western observers said were rigged.

Muchinguri said that Palmer, Bronkhorst and the landowner were guilty of illegally "poaching" the lion, which was allegedly lured out of the national park with an elephant carcass.

She said Cecil was "an iconic attraction... which we had successfully managed to look after both in terms of conservation and protection from a cub to a fully-grown lion of 13 years."

In an interview with the Telegraph, a British newspaper, Bronkhorst told how Palmer was only in Zimbabwe for a few days, and had also wanted to shoot a large elephant.

"A huge male — Cecil — came into view... He was a magnificent animal," Bronkhorst said, describing the hunt.

BOW AND ARROW

"The client then fired using a bow and arrow, and it went away into the long grass."

Cecil was only injured, and the next day they tracked it down and Palmer shot it.

About 50,000 visitors — half of them from abroad — visit the Hwange park every year, and Cecil was a much-photographed star attraction.

Palmer's dental practice in Minnesota has been the scene of protests against Cecil's death, with crowds leaving toys of lions, tigers and monkeys outside the building.

A sign reading "Rot in Hell" was plastered on the office door.

One animal rights charity called for Palmer to be hanged.