American Dentist Identified as Killer of Famed Lion in Zimbabwe

The public defense this dentist is now making through the media could be seen as what he intends to use as defense against extradition.
He paid what he thought were lawful qualified guides to find him a game animal, a lion, to shoot.
It is true that game guides should know the terrain they are guiding clients through. Also, Preserves are usually demarcated on maps. Something game guides would also be aware of.
What sinks this dentists defense, lack of knowledge, trusting the guides he hired, is that he was there when the guides lured Cecil out of the Preserve boundaries using an elephant carcass.

If it was open hunting territory they'd not need to do that.
Also, prior bad acts lead to the belief that this dentist could have cared less about the boundaries or the laws that protected Cecil.
The dentist, Palmer, plead guilty in 2008 to lying to federal officials in regards to questions relating to the unlawful killing of a black bear in Wisconsin.

Cecil was skinned and beheaded. His head is not yet located. I was wrong about how Cecil was finally dispatched after this dentist shot him with an arrow, a crossbow the weapon. He used a rifle to finish Cecil off after he tracked the injured lion for two days.

I'd hope custom would be on alert for any package being shipped from Zimbabwe to the states. Particularly those destined for Minneapolis Minnesota,Dr.Palmer's home city-state.

Lazy_Proverb said:

It is true that game guides should know the terrain they are guiding clients through. Also, Preserves are usually demarcated on maps. Something game guides would also be aware of.
What sinks this dentists defense, lack of knowledge, trusting the guides he hired, is that he was there when the guides lured Cecil out of the Preserve boundaries using an elephant carcass.

Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking about. How could Palmer call it legal and responsible when he was there while they lured the lion? He's hunted before. He should know about protected areas.

I suppose there is a possibility that he was sitting in the car and didn't know what his guides were doing as they lured the lion, but he must have been there when an attempt was made to get rid of the collar.

William67 said:

Actually, she was being confrontational. He asked her to put out her cigarette. To which she responded, "Im in MY car, you don't have the right to tell me to put out the cigarette". Her head was turned, looking at him when she blew smoke. That is basically blowing smoke in his face.

Click to expand...

The dash cam video refutes the notion she blew smoke in her face. From where she was and the officer's head was, it would have to be a pretty powerful breath. Regardless, he does not have the right to tell her out put the cigarette, stating your rights is not being confrontational.

William67 said:

1. The cop told her to get out of the car for his own safety. She was acting belligerently and that causes people to do stupid things. There was a case in Charlotte, NC. Cop pulled a woman over because she was weaving. He smelled alcohol and told her to exit the car. She refused and when he tried to remove her, she started the car. He tried to remove the keys. She put the car into drive and sped away...with the cop hanging out the window. The cop managed to get to his sidearm and he shot her in the head. It was ruled justified.

Click to expand...

That is a completely different situation. The officer had reasonable suspicion because of the smell to ask her to step out of the car. Smoking a cigarette while driving is not illegal, drinking while driving is illegal. Asking someone to step out of a car over a cigarette is at best, questionably legal.

William67 said:

2. After the confrontation starts, he is seen trying to remove her. At that moment, she has added resisting arrest.

Click to expand...

On top of what offense? You have to be breaking a law to be resisting arrest.

William67 said:

3. The reason he didn't tell her why she was being arrested is because cops know that increases the chances of someone attacking them.

Click to expand...

This really doesn't matter anyway since nothing the officer was doing was lawful starting with asking her to step out of her car.

William67 said:

4. When the female officer arrives, she witnesses Bland kick the arresting officer. Now, she has also added assault to the list of charges. And all this because Bland gets upset because he pulls her over and is going to issue a warning ticket.

Click to expand...

I've never heard the female officer claiming to also witness the assault. Regardless, both the dash cam and another video have proven the notion that Bland kicked the arresting officer to be false.

In all of Zimbabwe they chose that area to hunt a lion in? I wonder if the collar signal can be received by someone other than the researchers that applied it? Like hacking in to a signal that someone knows is on a very well known lion?
His two guides he allegedly paid $50 thousand to have been charged by officials of Zimbabwe with poaching.

These guides can be presumed to be natives of Zimbabwe. If anyone would know the fame of Cecil it is native people there. Luring a lion with a carcass when lions can be found in other areas of Zimbabwe?

And as has been reported, this dentist has demonstrated he's not one to worry about the limits of the law when it comes to what he wants to hunt or fish for. He paid a $2,938 fine with regard to the black bear incident.

Nor does he respect the law of proper moral conduct when it comes to people either apparently. He paid his alleged sexual harassment victim, an employee, $127,500 and without having to admit guilt in that settlement. He also agreed to attend at least 3 hours of sexual harassment training courses and provide the woman a signed letter of recommendation for future prospective employers.
Walter Palmer Sexual Harassment Documents

With all this and yet no, he wouldn't knowingly poach a lion in Zimbabwe. Trust him when he tells you that. Credibility is not a big plus for him at this point.

Aldebaran said:

The denist/hunter had paid the other 2 guys as guides, right? Isn't that mainly because they are supposed to know what is allowed and what isn't, and they "guide" the hunter. Almost like a lawyer is a guide for a person in the legal system. Since these guides were native to the land, isn't it their responsibility that a protected lion was killed rather than one that was "fair game"?

Click to expand...

Yes, he paid $55,000 for the hunt, but given the notoriety of the lion there's no way they didn't know it was him they were baiting.

And I'm not sure on the legality of such things, but they baited him with a carcass to come out of the national park which, to my knowledge is protected land.

And then there's the fact that he was collared and they claim they didn't know until after he was killed, at which point they dismantled the collar and severed his head to take as a trophy leaving the collar at the kill site. That is clear evidence of wrongdoing.

Darth Bagel said:

An American dentist with an affinity for killing rare wildlife using a bow and arrow has been identified as the man who shot and killed Zimbabwe's most famous lion earlier this month, local officials claim.

Dr. Walter Palmer, a dentist working in Bloomington, Minnesota, is said to have paid $55,000 to hunt the 13-year-old lion, named Cecil, according to a report from The Telegraph. The animal was allegedly lured with meat out of Hwange National Park -- a protected area that bans hunting -- into an adjacent hunting zone where he was shot with an arrow. The lion was then followed for 40 hours before he was ultimately killed with a rifle.​

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/american-dentist-killed-lion-zimbabwe_55b78e38e4b0a13f9d1a1d0a

Click to expand...

Strange that it costs $55,000 to kill a lion, but less than $1,000 to kill a human child in an abortion clinic

If this story was about a lioness getting an abortion, I wouldn't care.

But it's not.

They're a threatened species that are integral to the local environment.

Yes, I know how they eat their prey. I have watched plenty of videos of them doing this. I basically live off animal documentaries, and lions are one of the most popular subjects. Nature can be incredibly harsh.

Humans are responsible for nearly killing off all lions (and we succeeded with the European lion). It is our responsibility to bring them back from the brink.

TX_Matt said:

The dash cam video refutes the notion she blew smoke in her face. From where she was and the officer's head was, it would have to be a pretty powerful breath. Regardless, he does not have the right to tell her out put the cigarette, stating your rights is not being confrontational.

Click to expand...

She is sitting in the drivers seat, speaking to the cop. She is smoking. And no, it doesn't take a lot to blow smoke from only 1-2 feet. It was her attitude. She wanted to run her mouth to the cop. She did, but to do that, you must be willing to pay the consequences.

That is a completely different situation. The officer had reasonable suspicion because of the smell to ask her to step out of the car. Smoking a cigarette while driving is not illegal, drinking while driving is illegal. Asking someone to step out of a car over a cigarette is at best, questionably legal.

Click to expand...

A cop can have you exit the car for whatever reason he or she chooses. He asked her several times to get out of the car. She refused. Between 2001 and 2010, nearly 5000 police officers were assaulted during traffic stops. 95 were killed. So, if a cop feels you are acting agitated, he/she will ask you to step out of the car. This is a legal order. If you do not comply, you are violating a lawful order. You can be arrested for that. You may not like it, but it is the law.

On top of what offense? You have to be breaking a law to be resisting arrest.

Click to expand...

On top of being arrested for disobeying a lawful order.

This really doesn't matter anyway since nothing the officer was doing was lawful starting with asking her to step out of her car.

Click to expand...

Actually, he was following procedure during the traffic stop and what he did was legal. You really need to study the law more.

I've never heard the female officer claiming to also witness the assault. Regardless, both the dash cam and another video have proven the notion that Bland kicked the arresting officer to be false.

Click to expand...

Then you werent paying attention. When the arresting officer walks back to the woman's car and is joined by the other officer on the video, who was female, he says, "She kicked me". To which the female officer replies, "Yeah, right up on your leg there".

You really don't understand police procedure. I imagine that you didn't notice him mark her car. Or that he first approached her car on the passenger side, or the reason he did that. Ive never been a fan of the police. Members of my own family have a long, negative history with them. I would be really happy if he had done something wrong. But, in this case, the officer did his job properly.

And in the end, nothing the officer did caused her to kill herself. She tied the bag around her neck. She tied the other end to the stall. She is the one who hung herself.

He paid native guides 55 thousand dollars American. What amounts to $27,500. a piece. The exchange rate for the Zimbabwean currency for that American 27,500.00 affords each guide $9,952,250.00.

That isn't just to guide. That's to assume the risks of poaching a Preserve lion in Zimbabwe.

leothelioness said:

Yes, he paid $55,000 for the hunt, but given the notoriety of the lion there's no way they didn't know it was him they were baiting.

And I'm not sure on the legality of such things, but they baited him with a carcass to come out of the national park which, to my knowledge is protected land.

And then there's the fact that he was collared and they claim they didn't know until after he was killed, at which point they dismantled the collar and severed his head to take as a trophy leaving the collar at the kill site. That is clear evidence of wrongdoing.

Click to expand...

Is that what happened? I kept hearing things about it but I never knew what actually happened. That is sick what that man did. It would have been different if maybe he was being attacked by the lion or something, but to go out of your way to kill it just for fun is pretty evil if you ask me.

Soyeong said:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1033392730034021

Click to expand...

I care more about the babies than a lion. Still sad what happened and even worse what's happing to innocent children.

William67 said:

A cop can have you exit the car for whatever reason he or she chooses. He asked her several times to get out of the car. She refused. Between 2001 and 2010, nearly 5000 police officers were assaulted during traffic stops. 95 were killed. So, if a cop feels you are acting agitated, he/she will ask you to step out of the car. This is a legal order. If you do not comply, you are violating a lawful order. You can be arrested for that. You may not like it, but it is the law.

Click to expand...

I guess it comes to down a matter of judgement whether or not she was acting in such a way that justified the cop feeling threatened. From what I saw, I don't think she was acting agitated enough to make the officer feel threatened, especially since at that point the stop was over with.

William67 said:

On top of being arrested for disobeying a lawful order.

Click to expand...

A police officer claiming something as a lawful order does not make it a lawful order, or even giving an order does not make it a law suddenly you have to obey. Even if she did blow the smoke in his face, he still does not have the right to ask her to put on the cigarette. Blowing smoke in someone's face, disrespectful, not assault.

William67 said:

Then you werent paying attention. When the arresting officer walks back to the woman's car and is joined by the other officer on the video, who was female, he says, "She kicked me". To which the female officer replies, "Yeah, right up on your leg there".

Click to expand...

You didn't pay attention to my post, another bystander video disproved the notion that she assaulted him. Until that officer replies he never seems to react to any kind of assault on him, from the audio, if anything it sounds like he is assaulted her. I saw nothing in that video to indicate his claims of her assaulting him were true. I guess that's why a jury is made up of more than one person.

William67 said:

But, in this case, the officer did his job properly..

Click to expand...

He was the one escalated the situation in the first place. Go read this article that quotes reactions from police officers and comments from police officers (you can only comment on this site if you are a verified as a police officer).
http://www.policeone.com/use-of-for...s-arrest-footage-of-woman-found-dead-in-cell/

The first comment raises an excellent question.
"Let's pose this question- suppose she had stepped out when he asked her to....THEN WHAT??? You were gonna scold her about the cigarette??? What was his plan?? What was going to be the purpose of pulling her out? "

We can't know for sure obviously, but I can't imagine what he would do to her besides scold her about the cigarette and possibly her attitude. He'd already given her the warning, it was when he was handing it to her to sign that the cigarette thing happened.

Lazy_Proverb said:

He paid native guides 55 thousand dollars American. What amounts to $27,500. a piece. The exchange rate for the Zimbabwean currency for that American 27,500.00 affords each guide $9,952,250.00.

That isn't just to guide. That's to assume the risks of poaching a Preserve lion in Zimbabwe.

Click to expand...

Exactly.

I tend to credit compassionate people with the capacity to feel for Cecil and babies. Cecil isn't less important than what we hear about PP.

Rather, I see his tragic killing as something that is like unto the breaking news about Michael Vick and the charges against him concerning illegal dog fighting and the killing of dogs.

Things no one knew, or thought about as a major issue of concern. Until something hit the news that not only brought that barbaric animal abuse to the publics attention, but because a famous Eagles football player was at the center of the story as the offender, glued peoples attention to the entire topic.

And may have helped in causing people to be vigilant if they think there are dog fighting rings in their own neighborhoods. Communities that are high end and not what is typically portrayed in the movies or other scripted stories as pertains to lower income neighborhoods being the location for this type abuse.

Vick had a building constructed on his mansion property in a high end community. I don't know if it was a gated community. But this facility was created for the dog fights.
All that coming to light in the reporting of his prosecution enlightened countless people to the fact that sadistic people who engage in dog fights can be anyone.

And this report about poor Cecil is no different in enlightening people to the very real fact that poachers are decimating the wildlife in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. Bringing the numbers of so called trophy animals down and to at risk numbers simply because rich people can fly to poor countries and buy their way to slaughtering one more. So as to insure there is one less in the world.
One less lion. One less leopard. One less big tusker male elephant.
Until, left to their own devices because these poachers are rich, there are no more to be seen anywhere they have traveled.
That is a very horrific future to even contemplate.

And it is no less worthy of attention, compassion, outrage, or activism to try and put a stop to it, just because some think the priority should be relegated to humans. When God knows there is enough callous disregard for life being exampled in this world to keep peoples attention drawn to more than one topic at any given time.