1 Aug 2015

Call to extradite Cecil hunter

7:19 am on 1 August 2015

Zimbabwe's government says the American who killed the country's most famous lion, Cecil, should be extradited to face justice.

Much-loved Zimbabwean lion "Cecil" -pictured here in 2012 - was allegedly killed by an American tourist using a bow and arrow.

Much-loved Zimbabwean lion "Cecil" -pictured here in 2012 - was allegedly killed by an American tourist using a bow and arrow. Photo: AFP

Environment minister Oppo Muchinguri told a news conference Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist, was a foreign poacher who paid for an illegal hunt.

She said the Prosecutor General had already started the process to have the 55-year-old extradited from the United States.

Mr Palmer has admitted killing the lion, but has said in a statement he hired professional guides and believed all the necessary hunting permits were in order.

Protesters place stuffed animals outside Dr Walter Palmer's dental clinic in Minnesota.

Protesters place stuffed animals outside Dr Walter Palmer's dental clinic in Minnesota. Photo: AFP

He is believed to have paid about NZ$75,000 to hunt Cecil with a bow and arrow.