Dr, Walter Palmer a dentist with a practice in Bloomington, Minnesota, who has a felony record in the U.S. related to shooting a black bear in Wisconsin murdered “Cecil” the famed lion in Zimbabwe’s I have never a.
Palmer and his guides lured “Cecil” out of the protected park through a gate they opened and Palmer then shot the lion with a crossbow. Cecil then fled and was pursued for 40 hours by Palmer and his entourage before Dr. Palmer dealt the final blow with a gunshot. Cecil was then skinned and beheaded. One cannot imagine the pain and suffering endured by this animal after being wounded by a bow gun and stalked for nearly 2 days.
Palmer, who lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie paid $50,000 USD to kill the lion and while he claims he thought the hunt was legal, few believe his story.
The lion’s death has outraged animal conservationists and others, including U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat. In a statement late Tuesday, the congresswoman called for an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see whether any U.S. laws were violated
Dr. Palmer is no stranger to illegal hunts. According to U.S. court records, Palmer pleaded guilty in 2008 to making false statements to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about a black bear he fatally shot in western Wisconsin. Palmer had a permit to hunt but shot the animal outside the authorized zone in 2006, then tried to pass it off as being killed elsewhere, according to court documents. He was given one year probation and fined nearly $3,000.
In addition Palmer was the subject of a sexual harassment complaint settled in 2006, with Palmer admitting no wrongdoing and agreeing to pay a former receptionist more than $127,000. If he did “no wrong” then why did he settle?
I have never included a personal statement before to a specific person on my blog, however in this case I will make an exception. Dr. Palmer I hope you are proud of yourself. I will say will absolute clarity you are a disgrace and your behavior toward wildlife and women sickens me. Do you have that big smile on your face now?
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