London : Zimbabwe has sought from the US extradition of the dentist who killed Cecil the lion, the most famous creature in the country’s national park. Zimbabwe’s Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri said at a press conference that Walter Palmer, 55, was a “foreign poacher” and that Zimbabwe’s prosecutor general had already started the process to have him extradited, BBC reported on Friday. A bilateral extradition treaty between the US and Zimbabwe has been in effect since April 2000 in cases where an individual is charged with what would be a criminal offence in both countries. Palmer, a keen big game hunter who is said to have paid around $50,000 for a chance to kill Cecil, will be facing trial for financing the illegal hunt if he is extradited to Zimbabwe.
Cecil was a male African lion who lived in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The animal was shot on July 1 in the park.
