
Police in Zimbabwe have said they urgently want to speak to the American dentist who killed one of Africa's most famous lions with a bow and arrow earlier this month.

Emmanuel Fundira, the president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday that Dr. Walter Palmer is wanted for the death of Cecil the lion but that his whereabouts were unknown.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said 'we are looking for Palmer' who allegedly paid $55,000 (£35,000) for a big game permit and traveled from his home town of Minneapolis to Africa to kill a lion.

Dr. Palmer's hunting colleagues, Zimbabwean Theo Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu are due to appear in court this week on poaching charges for the death of Cecil.

'We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case,' said Charamba.

The much loved big cat was wounded by an arrow after he was allegedly lured out of the national park by the hunter's bait. After spending two days tracking the injured beast, Cecil was eventually found and shot dead.

The corpse was then skinned and the head hacked off as a trophy.

Walter Palmer (left), from Minnesota, has admitted to being the hunter who shot and killed Cecil the Lion (not pictured) in Zimbabwe

Cecil the lion (pictured) was lured outside the park and was initially wounded by an arrow before being stalked, shot and beheaded for a trophy

However, speaking to the Star Tribune on Tuesday morning, Dr. Palmer said he was unaware of Cecil's fame and expressed regret but denied any illegality and laid any blame firmly at the door of his guides.

'I hired several professional guides, and they secured all proper permits,' the statement read. 'To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.

Hunted: Walter James Palmer was identified on Tuesday by both the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force and the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe as the American hunter, a name that police then confirmed

'I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.'

'Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.'

Professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu are due to appear in court this week on poaching charges for allegedly killing Cecil.

If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison.

After Dr. Palmer was identified as the hunter who killed Cecil, the furore which erupted caused the dentist to go into hiding.

His dental practice was closed when reporters went to knock on the door and a note on the father-of-two's home address referred all callers to a public relations firm in Minneapolis, according to the Star Tribune.

Palmer is a member of the Safari Club International, which has approximately 55,000 members across the world.

The dentist is a specialist bow and arrow hunter and on the SCI website has 43 registered kills.

Dr. Palmer, a client of Bronkhorst, is thought to have hunted game in Zimbabwe before and once told theNew York Times he is 'capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow.'

His passion for hunting has also landed him in trouble before with the law.

Mr Palmer pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the precise location of where he killed a black bear in 2008.

Palmer was placed on a one year probation and fined $2939 after it was found that he was not licensed to kill the bear in that particular area.

The passionate hunter describes himself on his dentist website as having 'a unique talent for creating dazzling smiles that complement each individuals tooth structure, skin tone, and facial attributes.'

However, since his role in Cecil's death has been uncovered, animal lovers have laid siege to Dr Palmer's website, posting incredibly negative and abusive reviews.

Some of the comments, which are being regularly deleted, threatened acts of violence against Dr Palmer, with suggestions that his practice should be attacked.

The married father of two also states that outside of work he enjoys anything which allows him 'to stay active and observe and photograph wildlife.'

His passion for hunting has led him to use his archery skills to kill all but one of the animals listed on respected bowhunting organization Pope and Young's records. The hunting group's list includes tough targets like polar bears, leopards, rhinos and lions.

Walter Palmer (pictured in red shorts) has previously been fined for lying to authorities about where he shot dead a bear

Dr. Palmer owns the River Bluff Dental practice in Bloomington, Minnesota. Social media accounts belonging to the dental practice and its Yelp page were inundated with furious comments about Cecil

'I HAD NO IDEA': HUNTER DENTIST DENIES ILLEGALLY KILLING CECIL 'In early July, I was in Zimbabwe on a bow hunting trip for big game. 'I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. 'To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted. 'I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. 'I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. 'I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have. 'Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.' Advertisement

According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), the hunt began on July 6. 'They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil,' said the ZCTF's Johnny Rodrigues.

'They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park.'

Rodrigues revealed that Palmer shot his bow and arrow at Cecil, but failed to kill him and that they stalked the wounded and stricken lion for 40 hours before finally shooting him dead and beheading him.

He added according to The Independent: 'The head – his trophy – has been impounded and confiscated as evidence for the court in Victoria Falls'.

And to add to the outrage surrounding the death of Cecil, the future of the cubs of his pride are now thought to be at risk. The cubs could be killed if the pride is taken over by another male lion.

'The saddest part of all is that now that Cecil is dead, the next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho, will most likely kill all Cecil's cubs,' Rodrigues said.

A spokesman for Palmer told the Guardian that Palmer was 'obviously quite upset over everything.'

'As far as I understand, Walter believes that he might have shot that lion that has been referred to as Cecil,' the spokesman said. 'What he'll tell you is that he had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides, so he's not denying that he may be the person who shot this lion. He is a big-game hunter; he hunts the world over.'

Immediately after being identified, the dentist's yelp review page was being being flooded with furious comments and threats today after he was identified as Cecil's killer.

'Nothing in this world would give me greater pleasure than to see your head mounted on a wall, your carcass defiled, degraded and paraded as you did to Cecil and near countless other animals,' wrote one person.

Trophy: Walter Palmer with another one of his kills. Palmer is an expert shot with a bow and arrow and poses proudly with his hunted rhino which is traditionally known as one of the Big Five game animals in Africa

Elk trophy: Walter James Palmer was identified on Tuesday by both the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force and the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe as the American hunter who killed Cecil the lion, which police then confirmed

'I HOPE YOUR PRACTICE GOES UP IN FLAMES': ONLINE FURY AT THE HUNTER DENTIST WHO KILLED CECIL THE LION FOR SPORT Almost immediately after Minnesota dentist, Walter Palmer was named as the killer of Cecil the lion, outraged members of the public decided to flood the Yelp review page of his practice with angry messages. Some members of the public simply scolded the big game hunter, while others outright threatened Palmer, so sickened were they by his hunting trip to Zimbabwe where he paid $55,000 for a permit to shoot dead a lion. Prize: Walter Palmer poses with a Nevada California Bighorn during one of his successful hunting trips Liesi. C. from Chicago, Illinois called for his dentistry practice to go up in flames in addition to wishing for him to lose all his patients. 'There is absolutely nothing I can say that will fully encapture the utter hatred I feel for Dr Palmer,' wrote Liesi C. 'Dr. Palmer, you're pathetic. You're not even a man. A man wouldn't do what you've done. You're a little boy and I hope you are charged to the full extent of any and all law.' Others claimed that Dr. Palmer had no regard for life and called him a 'repulsive human being who deserves to be charged with poaching and extradited to Zimbabwe.' Some reviwers labeled Palmer a monster for 'illegally torturing and murdering Cecil the lion'. Jen O., also from Chicago, was distressed by the fact that experts now believe that Cecil's six cubs will now die when a new male takes over his pride. Some people like Alex O. tried to bring the message back to Palmer's status as a erstwhile respected member of the community. 'Do you trust a man like that with your teeth,' wrote Alex O. 'Would you be happy to know that the money you're paying him funds that kind of sick, cowardly and cruel lifestyle?' Karly O. from Portland, Oregon was concerned about the state of Palmer's ethics. 'If he lies about luring a lion out of a park so he can criticlly wound it and kill it hours later, how can you trust him to tell you the truth about your teeth?' One individual appeared to pour scorn on the hunting methods employed by Palmer. 'Waler Palmer baited a lion out of a preserve, set up an ambush, wounded it, then found it the next morning to finish him off,' wrote It's M. 'This is not hunting. There is no skill worthy of a trophy here. Especially when you fail to immediately kill the animal, causing it to suffer.' Dan B, of Brooklyn, New York, tried to make his comment more dental-appropriate: 'It would be one thing if Walter Palmer ever started or ended an appointment on time, but he doesn't. It would be another thing altogether if it seemed for even an instant he even pretended to pay attention, but after yet another seemingly excessive crown, its clear that all Dr. Palmer cares about is money. 'Perhaps if he wasn't flying around the world to hunt lions (what?!) he would have the time and attention to detail his patients require.' Advertisement

The day after the hunt, it is believed Mr Bronkhorst went to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and reported the hunt.

Hunted with hounds: Palmer holds up a 175-pound leopard which he tracked and killed in Zimbabwe

Park authorities confirmed that a valid license was held but that it did not specify where the hunting of the lion could take place.

Using a bow and arrow to hunt animals is allowed in Zimbabwe as long an hunting permit is held.

The permit specifies that the hunting of animals inside a national park or government run safari area is illegal.

A statement issued by the Zimbabwean Parks Authority made no reference to reports that it was a wealthy Spanish or American man who had killed Cecil with a bow and arrow after paying a $55,000 fee.

The statement said: 'Theo Bronkhorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris, is facing criminal charges for allegedly killing a collared lion on Antoinette farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange district on 1 July 2015.'

'Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt.'

The statement said that Bronkhorst's son Zane was also wanted for questioning, and that the lion trophy had been confiscated.

Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe,described the death of Cecil the Lion as 'a real loss to our tourism industry and it has caused a lot of anxiety.'

'Cecil was collared, indicating that he was selected for research purposes.

'He was popular with visitors to Hwange National Park who were fascinated by his black mane and always wanted to know his whereabouts.'

The death of Cecil has left conservators deeply worried for the safety of several lion cubs, who are now living unprotected in the park.

Researchers at Hwange National Park had fitted Cecil with a tracking collar but it appears the hunter removed the collar and attempted to destroy any evidence.

An investigation is currently underway to find the hunter, who spent two days tracking the great beast after failing in his initial attempt to kill the lion.

Cecil was one of the park's oldest lions and was well known for his striking looks and friendly nature.

According to local legend, Cecil was kicked out of his pride and wandered alone until he met another lone lion called Jericho.

Cecil and Jericho both had a pride, comprised of six lionesses and several young cubs, situated in the park.

With the death of Cecil, the future of the cubs are now thought to be at risk. The cubs could be killed if the pride is taken over by another male lion.

Beks Ndlovo, chief executive of the African Bush Camps, a private safari company in Zimbabwe, called for the hunting of lions to be stopped.

Ndlovo said: 'In my personal capacity... I strongly object and vehemently disagree with the legalizing and practice of hunting lions in any given area.

'I will personally be encouraging Zimbabwe National Parks and engaging with Government Officials to stop the killing of lions and with immediate effect.'