Dentist who killed Cecil the lion tells patients 'go elsewhere' amid worldwide protest

Walter Palmer in hiding after shooting dead famous big cat
Walter Palmer, left, smiles over the kill of another lion
Westley Hargrave for DailyMail.com
Ramzy Alwakeel30 July 2015

A dentist who has become the target of worldwide outrage for hunting and killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe has advised his patients to seek care elsewhere as he remained in hiding amid protests at his US clinic.

Big-game hunter Walter Palmer reportedly paid £32,000 to track and kill the lion with the help of two Zimbabwean men.

The head of Zimbabwe's safari association said the big cat with the black mane was lured into the kill zone and denied "a chance of a fair chase".

Dr Palmer, 55, has faced protests at his clinic in Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he offers general and cosmetic dentistry.

Reports of the lion's death sparked intense condemnation online and a backlash from scores of A-list celebrities.

Mr Palmer's dental practice has closed its website and social media accounts since his identity was revealed after thousands of people flooded them with angry comments.

Cruelty claims: Dentist Walter Palmer

He has not appeared in public since being identified as the lion's killer.

Zimbabwe police have said they are looking for Dr Palmer, whose current whereabouts are unknown.

He says he thought the hunt was legal and was unaware Cecil was protected.

It came as US singer, hunter and gun activist Ted Nugent launched a verbal attack on anti-hunting campaigners saying killing the lion was "essential."

He posted on Facebook: "It was a wild lion from a "park" where hunting is legal & ESSENTIAL beyond the park borders. all animals reproduce every year & would run out of room/food to live w/o [without] hunting."

Found skinned and headless: Cecil the lion (Picture: YouTube)
youtube

The American is believed to have shot the lion with a crossbow. The wounded cat was then tracked for 40 hours before Dr Palmer fatally shot him with a gun. Cecil is believed to have been killed on July 1 and his carcass discovered days later.

In a letter sent to his "valued" patients on Tuesday, Mr Palmer said he had been in the news "for reasons that have nothing to do with my profession or the care I provide for you".

A child places a stuffed animal at the doorway in protest over the lion's death
REUTERS/Eric Miller

He described himself as a "life-long hunter" but said he rarely discussed his passion with patients "because it can be a divisive and emotionally charged topic".

Professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst yesterday pleaded not guilty to a charge of "failing to prevent an unlawful hunt" at a court in Zimbabwe's capital Harare.

A woman hangs a sign on the front entrance of the River Bluff Dental clinic
REUTERS/Eric Miller

He was granted bail of $1,000 (£640) and ordered to appear in court again on 5 August. His co-accused - farm owner Honest Ndlovu - will appear at a later date.

The American tourist is believed to have paid about $50,000 (£32,000) to go on the hunt in Zimbabwe.

He is well known in the American hunting community. In 2006, he was found guilty of killing a black bear outside an authorised zone in the state of Wisconsin and lying to authorities about it. He was fined $3,000 (£1,900).

Mr Palmer has visited Zimbabwe for hunting trips in the past and one image posted online in 2010 shows him posing with a leopard he killed.

Glenn Hisey, director of records for the Minnesota-based Pope and Young Club, where Dr Palmer registered some of his killings by bow, had said the group was concerned about the news from Africa.

"If he violated controlling game laws there, he might have violated controlling game laws other places," Mr Hisey said, adding that Dr Palmer's listings with the club could be examined as more facts emerged.

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