Extradite Walter Palmer Petition
Walter Palmer (Cecil the lion’s killer in July 2015) returned to River Bluff Dental, Bloomington, Minnesota practice today (8 September 2015), but encountered continued controversy, protestors and media attention.
Walter Palmer’s family have been under intense scrutiny and strain, but Walter Palmer remains unapologetic and defiant restating that (in his own deluded opinion) he’s “done nothing wrong” – reaffirming his earlier statements that the hunt was ‘legal’ (the ‘legality’ is strongly disputed of course) and that he wouldn’t have shot Cecil if he’d known he had a “name” (as if a “name” somehow offers any sort of protection against a hunter’s incompetence, forethought and malice?).
Alarmingly, Walter Palmer has apparently not ruled out returning to hunting, which should worry everyone.
Walter Palmer’s hunting guide for Cecil’s killing, Theo Bronkhorst and the owner of the property where Cecil was lured, Honest Ndlovu have both been charged following Cecil’s killing in Zimbabwe (The Independent, 5 August 2015) .
Cecil was a tagged lion (part of Wild CRU’s research programme) – Cecil was lured from a protected area, shot with an arrow by Walter Palmer – Cecil was maimed, tracked for a further 40 hours by the ‘professional’ team, until finally being ‘relieved’ of further torture and unnecessary suffering – Ceil was then beheaded and skinned for Walter Palmer’s prized ‘Trophies’ (now impounded in Zimbabwe).
When will Walter Palmer face extradition to face trial with his cohorts in Zimbabwe?
The whole Trophy Hunting industry is clearly corrupt (The Economics of Poaching, Trophy and Canned Hunting), but are we witnessing yet more of a cover up and deeper rooted corruption as Walter Palmer seemingly skirts extradition (for the time being)? This can not be allowed to happen, for the sake of protecting further Cecil’s, their prides and all endangered and threatened species. Full legal redress is the only ethical outcome.
This is not a call for a personal ‘witch hunt’ against Walter Palmer, but if Walter Palmer can escape ‘atonement’ for his actions, what does this say for our world, the potential survival of the World’s Animal Kingdom and the integrity of humanity on any level, or related cause?
Note: Photographic content and other reference material courtesy of Cecil’s Pride and The Dodo magazine.