White House to review ‘Cecil’ killer extradition petition

The White House said on Thursday that it will review the public petition to extradite the American dentist who allegedly killed Cecil, a Zimbabwean lion.

The petition has exceeded the required 100,000 signatures and the White House has said it will respond to all petitions that meet that level.

American dentist Walter James Palmer, a lifelong big game hunter, has admitted killing Cecil with a bow and arrow on July 1st near Zimbabwe's Hwange national park.

He said he had hired professional local guides with the required hunting permits and believed the hunt was legal.

Zimbabwe wildlife officials said Cecil was one of the oldest and most famous lions in the country.

They accused Mr Palmer of killing Cecil without a permit after paying $50,000 (€45,000) to two people who lured the beast to its death.

The lion was lured out of Hwange National Park using a bait and was shot by Mr Palmer with a crossbow, Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), told reporters.

Two Zimbabweans – professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and Honest Ndlovu, a local landowner – are accused of helping Mr Palmer hunt the lion and appeared in court in Victoria Falls on Wednesday to face poaching charges.

Zimbabwean police said they are looking for Mr Palmer.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it is up to the Justice Department to respond to an extradition order.

The incident is currently being investigated by Zimbabwean authorities and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Social media exploded with outrage this week at the killing of the lion.

Reuters