Zimbabwe court rules for professional hunter in Cecil the lion case

The lion, Cecil, was killed by a hunter.
Cecil, a lion well-known to tourists in Zimbabwe, was killed on Antoinette farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange district on July 1, 2015.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

A Zimbabwean court has set aside charges against a professional hunter accused of allowing an American dentist to kill Cecil, a lion whose death in 2015 prompted an international outcry.

Honest Trymore Ndlovu and Theo Bronkhorst
Theo Bronkhorst, right, appears in Hwange Magistrate's court in July 2015, along with Honest Trymore Ndlovu, both of whom were accused of illegally killing a lion with a Minnesota hunter.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

Theo Bronkhorst was charged with failing to prevent an illegal hunt after leading Eden Prairie, Minn., dentist Walter Palmer to Cecil, a lion that was popular with tourists and was wearing a GPS collar as part of a research project.

Bronkhorst subsequently applied to a court, arguing that the charge was vague and that the circumstances did not constitute a chargeable offense.

His lawyer, Perpetua Dube, said Friday that the court upheld the application. Dube says prosecutors can still pursue the case.

Zimbabwe initially said it would charge Palmer but later dropped that plan.

Protesters put up signs and left stuffed animals.
Heidi Ziman of Golden Valley moves some stuffed animals that were left with signs at the dental office of lion hunter Walter Palmer in Bloomington, in July 2015, after outcry over his hunt of Cecil the lion.
Courtney Perry for MPR News

 

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