Dr. Palmer has “not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation,” he wrote in his letter to patients, adding that he “will assist them in any inquiries they may have.” Per NBC News, police in Zimbabwe would like to question Dr. Palmer for his role in Cecil’s killing, but haver not commented on possible charges.
“Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” Dr. Palmer wrote in his letter to patients. “That was never my intention.”
Oy, this is quite the saga—but there’s more! Animal activists, unsurprisingly, are outraged over Dr. Palmer’s role in Cecil’s death. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, specifically, had some harsh words for Cecil, telling E! News in a statement: “Hunting is a coward’s pastime. If, as has been reported, this dentist and his guides lured Cecil out of the park with food so as to shoot him on private property, because shooting him in the park would have been illegal, he needs to be extradited, charged, and, preferably, hanged.”
Newkirk’s statement continued: “To get a thrill at the cost of a life, this man gunned down a beloved lion, Cecil with a high-powered weapon. All wild animals are beloved by their own mates and infants, but to hunters like this overblown, over-privileged little man, who lack empathy, understanding, and respect for living creatures, they are merely targets to kill, decapitate, and hang up on a wall as a trophy. The photograph of this dentist, smiling over the corpse of another animal, who, like Cecil, wanted only to be left in peace, will disgust every caring soul in the world.”
—Additional reporting by Sara Kitnick & Baker Machado
Article Appeared @http://www.eonline.com/news/681325/dentist-apologizes-for-killing-cecil-the-lion-peta-calls-for-u-s-hunter-to-be-hanged