Chronicle Reporter
TWO men are due before Hwange magistrates this morning charged over the killing of Zimbabwe’s most famous lion on July 1. Gwayi Conservancy farmer, Honest Trymore Ndlovu, and professional hunter, Theo Bronkhorst, face poaching charges over the slaughter, skinning and beheading of the 13-year-old Hwange National Park lion named Cecil.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) named American tourist Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, as the individual who shot the animal with a crossbow and later a rifle.

Palmer has already returned to the United States, but police confirmed that he could also face poaching charges.

“We arrested two people and now we’re looking for Palmer in connection with the same case,” national police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said yesterday.

Palmer yesterday told the Minnesota Star Tribune that “some things are being misreported”. He said he would release a statement yesterday evening.

A spokesman for the dentist told the Guardian in England that Palmer thinks “he might have shot that lion that has been referred to as Cecil”.

But he said the American “had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides”. The dental practice run by Palmer was closed yesterday and a note was placed on the door referring visitors to a public relations firm.

The practice’s Facebook page was removed from the site after being besieged by angry comments and the company website was also taken down.

Conservationists say Palmer paid $50,000 to kill Cecil. Which attracted many tourists who paid over $100,000 annually to see it in the wild.

The animal’s death has drawn worldwide anger after news of its death was picked up by the world press.

Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe president, Emmanuel Fundira, said the death of Cecil was a major blow to the tourism sector.

“Cecil was our main tourist attraction at Hwange. His death is a loss to the tourism sector because of his popularity with the international community, which saw several tourists flocking to Hwange National Park to see him,” he said.

Fundira said a person found guilty of killing a lion in Zimbabwe could be fined $20,000 or jailed for 10 years.

“This punishment is, however, not enough given the revenue Cecil was bringing into the country.”

Bronkhorst’s hunting licence has since been revoked, while the lion trophy – which was due to be flown to Palmer – has also been confiscated by the State.

Bronkhorst, registered with Bushman Safaris, is facing criminal charges for allegedly killing the lion which wore a GPS collar as part of a research project by Oxford University.

Cecil was baited and killed at Antoinette Farm, owned by Ndlovu, in the Gwayi Conservancy.

A source said Bronkhorst, Palmer and Ndlovu, having killed Cecil, “discovered to their absolute dismay” that they had killed a significant animal after finding the collar. “They were absolutely devastated,” the source familiar with the events told The Chronicle.

In a statement yesterday, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director general Edison Chidziya said investigations to date suggested that the killing of the lion was illegal.

The land owner had not been allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015.

“Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management as the Regulatory Authority and custodian of all wild animals in Zimbabwe, issues permits and hunting quotas for all hunting areas in Zimbabwe so that only animals on quota are hunted,” he said.

“In this case, both the professional hunter and the land owner had no permit or quota to justify the off take of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt.”

Efforts were also being made to interview another professional hunter, Zane Bronkhorst, who was also involved in the illegal hunt hence rendering all persons implicated in the case liable to appear in court facing poaching charges.

Cecil’s six cubs will now be killed as a new male lion in the pride will not allow them to live in order to encourage the lionesses to mate with him.

The brutal killing comes at a time Zimbabwe is battling to curb illegal hunting and poaching, which threatened to wipe out some of its wildlife.