As the outrage continued to grow over the hunting death of one of Africa's most iconic lions, two Zimbabwean men who allegedly received $50,000 from the American tourist who killed Cecil the lion arrived in court to face poaching charges related to the illegal hunt, Reuters reported. 
 
 Professional hunter Theo Bronchorst and land owner Honest Trymore Ndlovu allegedly tied a dead animal to a vehicle to lure the beloved lion outside a national park so that American Walter James Palmer could kill him, according to conservationists in Zimbabwe. 
 
 The two Zimbabwean men appeared at the Hwange magistrate’s court on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. They were charged with poaching offenses and for not having the required hunting permit, according to the BBC, which reported that the men were granted bail of $1,000 each and ordered to appear in court again next week. 
 
 1 of 12 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × The reaction to Cecil the lion’s killing by an American tourist View Photos Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer is accused of killing Zimbabwe’s Cecil the lion. Caption Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer is accused of killing Zimbabwe’s Cecil the lion. A photo of Walter James Palmer, the American dentist accused of killing Cecil the lion. Rex Features via AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow, injuring it, according to an account detailed by non-governmental group, Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. After tracking the 13-year-old lion for about 40 hours, Palmer is alleged to have killed the animal with a gun. Cecil was then beheaded and skinned. 
 
 [The death of Cecil the lion and the big business of big game trophy hunting] 
 
 Zimbabwean authorities said Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, could face charges as well; he has been accused by wildlife officials of killing Cecil without a permit, Reuters reported. 
 
 “We'll see how it plays out,” Caroline Washaya-Moyo, a spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, told The Post on Tuesday. She added that professional hunters and land owners typically first face charges in such cases. 
 
 Palmer, who has reportedly left Zimbabwe, said Tuesday that "I deeply regret" having killed "a known, local favorite" and that he may have been misled by his hunting guides. 
 
 “I hired several professional guides, and they secured all proper permits,” read a statement from Palmer to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.” 
 
 He added: “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion." 
 
 [OPINION: What justice for Cecil the Lion would actually look like] 
 
 Palmer said he hasn't been contacted by American or Zimbabwean officials "but will assist them in any inquires they may have." 
 
 
 
 A combination photo shows Theo Bronkhorst, left, and Honest Trymore Ndlovu before their court appearance in Zimbabwe. (Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters) 
 
 Cecil, thought to have been killed July 1, was one of Africa's most famous lions and lived in the massive Hwange National Park. 
 
 “It is alleged that the hunter connived with the Antoinette land owner, Mr. Honest Trymore Ndlovu to kill the lion,” read a joint statement from the parks service and the Safari Operators Association. “Ongoing investigations to date suggest that the killing of the lion was illegal since the land owner was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015. Therefore, all persons implicated in this case are due to appear in court facing poaching charges.” 
 
 The lion’s death on private land outside the park's boundary was condemned by the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association and set off a wave of international outrage that centered on Palmer after he was named in connection to the hunt. 
 
 Angry commenters have inundated the Yelp and Google Review pages for Palmer's dental practice, and he has been vilified across social media, as #CecilTheLion became a top worldwide trending topic on Twitter. 
 
 Local police are now monitoring Palmer's office, the Associated Press reported. Protesters have placed a small pile of stuffed animal toys at the dental practice's front door. 
 
 [A vengeful Internet trashed the Yelp page of the Minnesota dentist who shot Cecil the lion] 
 
 Lets have some social media shaming for an American dentist Walter Palmer paid $55,000 to SHOOT & KILL African lion #CecilTheLion. @peta — Rhonda Sherwood, CFP (@Rhonda_Sherwood) July 28, 2015 
 
 the outrage over #CecilTheLion is so, so justified. how people hurt or kill animals with such thoughtlessness or even joy is mind-boggling. — frances koncan (@franceskoncan) July 28, 2015 
 
 I’d love to go hunting for killer dentist Dr Walter Palmer, so I can stuff & mount him for MY office wall. My column: http://t.co/Xy2OWE8sU2 — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 28, 2015 
 
 The voice-mail inbox at Palmer’s dental practice in Minnesota was full Tuesday, and an e-mail from The Post to the practice was not answered. 
 
 Citing court records, Palmer pleaded guilty in 2008 to making a false statement to U.S. wildlife officials regarding the location of a black bear killing in Wisconsin during a guided hunt, the New York Times reported. 
 
 According to the AP: 
 
 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. 
 
 The Times chronicled Palmer going on a big game hunt in 2009, a year after he began probation. 
 
 As the 2009 season approached, Walter J. Palmer, a dentist in his late 40s from Eden Prairie, Minn., paid $45,000 for a tag at an auction to finance preservation of the elk habitat. Palmer, said to be capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow, has cultivated a purist’s reputation for his disinclination to carry firearms as backup. Learning to shoot at age 5, he has slain all but one of the animals recognized by Pope and Young. “I don’t have a golf game,” Palmer said. 
 
 [Rich American tourists kill hundreds of lions each year, and it’s all legal] 
 
 According to park and safari officials in Zimbabwe, authorities were trying to interview another professional hunter — Zane Bronkhorst — who may have been involved in Cecil the lion's death. 
 
 The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, a nongovernmental organization, alleged that the hunters purposefully lured Cecil out of the park. 
 
 "They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil," the group said in a statement. "They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park. Mr Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow but this shot didn't kill him. 
 
 "They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun. They found that he was fitted with a GPS collar because he was being studied by the Hwange Lion Research, funded by Oxford University so they tried to destroy the collar but failed because it was found." 
 
 Theo Bronkhorst owns Bushman Safaris, a company offering "top quality hunts with maximum results" and specializing in "leopards with dogs and other big game." 
 
 The company's Facebook page includes statements proclaiming that hunters help conservation efforts through the fees they pay to hunt big game: 
 
 Thanks to all who like our page.Understanding how we as hunters do far more for conservation of our wildlife than anti... Posted by Bushman Safaris Zimbabwe on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 
 
 This post, originally published July 28, has been updated. 
 
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 Ricky Gervais fires back after getting slaughtered over hunting remarks ||||| Who shot Cecil? First it was thought that a mystery Spaniard had the blood of one of Africa’s most famous lions on his hands. Then came a fresh twist. The Cecil slayer, Zimbabwean conservations said on Tuesday, was in fact a dentist from Minnesota. 
 
 American Walter Palmer was said to be “quite upset” as the hunter became hunted. Zimbabwean police warned that he faced poaching charges, while there was a furious backlash on social media, with Facebook users variously calling for him to be publicly shamed, have his teeth pulled out without anaesthetic or be hunted and killed. 
 
 Killer of Cecil the lion was dentist from Minnesota, claim Zimbabwe officials Read more 
 
 Cecil the lion, known for his black mane, was about 13 years old and a famous attraction for wildlife tourists in Zimbabwe until, earlier this month, he was tempted outside a national park using bait and shot with a bow and arrow. He is believed to have taken 40 hours to die. 
 
 Walter Palmer (left) and one of his previous trophy kills Photograph: facebook 
 
 In a statement to the Guardian, Palmer confirmed he had been in Zimbabwe in early July on a bow hunting trip. “I hired several professionals and they secured all proper permits,” said Palmer. “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted. 
 
 “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt,” he said. “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.” 
 
 Palmer, who is from Eden Prairie, just outside of Minneapolis, said he had not been contacted by authorities – either in Zimbabwe or the US – about the situation, but was willing to answer any questions they might have for him. 
 
 
 
 “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity that I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” he said. 
 
 The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force charity had initially suggested the culprit had been from Spain but on Tuesday named him as Palmer. This was later confirmed by police. 
 
 The charity’s chairman, Johnny Rodrigues, alleged that Palmer and professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst had gone hunting at night and tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of Hwange national park. 
 
 “Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow but this shot didn’t kill him,” he said. “They tracked him down and found him 40 hours later when they shot him with a gun. The hunters then found that the dead lion was wearing a tracking collar, which they unsuccessfully tried to hide.” 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Conservationists call for better protection for wild animals 
 
 Cecil was wearing a GPS collar as part of a research project that Oxford University has been running since 1999, making it possible to trace his last movements. 
 
 Rodrigues added: “Cecil was skinned and beheaded … Walter Palmer apparently paid $50,000 for the kill and we assume Theo Bronkhorst received this money.” 
 
 Initially his organisation had said the whereabouts of Cecil’s head was unknown, sparking concerns that it would be sent abroad as a trophy. But on Tuesday Rodrigues said the head of the lion had been located in Zimbabwe and impounded to be used as evidence in the investigation. 
 
 
 
 “The saddest part of all is that now that Cecil is dead, the next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho, will most likely kill all Cecil’s cubs so that he can insert his own bloodline into the females.” 
 
 Palmer – married with two children and thought to be in his 50s – became a target as the Facebook page of his dental clinic was flooded with angry comments and threats. An online petition demanding justice for Cecil had gathered more than 12,000 signatures. An Associated Press reporter approached his clinic in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington but was told he was not seeing patients on Tuesday. 
 
 A spokesman for Palmer said the hunter was “obviously quite upset over everything”, adding: “As far as I understand, Walter believes that he might have shot the lion that has been referred to as Cecil. 
 
 Palmer’s love of hunting is well documented online. In 2009, he was interviewed by the New York Times about his slaying of an elk that was touted as a kill for the archery record books. 
 
 
 
 Noting that Palmer had learned to shoot at age five and was “capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow,” the article said he had paid $45,000 at auction to take part in the hunt, with the proceeds being used to help fund the elk habitat. 
 
 
 
 As the hunting season began, Palmer was on probation for lying to authorities over the exact location where he had killed a black bear in northern Wisconsin in 2006. 
 
 A 2008 Flickr photo album by Trophy Hunt America and Porcupine Creek Outfitters, a company that leads hunting expeditions, shows Palmer posing next to a variety of slain animals, including a wood bison and a lion. In other online photos Palmer sits next to a slain rhino – the caption stating that the photo was taken in South Africa – or holds up a 175-pound leopard in Zimbabwe. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Patrick Barkham visits a lion-breeding farm in North Eastern Free State, South Africa, to investigate the ‘canned hunting’ industr. 
 
 Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, called for Palmer to be prosecuted as a criminal. “Cecil was a collared lion, a protected species,” he said. 
 
 
 
 “The rules are clear in Zimbabwe that no protected lions should be hunted. The American members of our association are encouraged to conduct themselves in a way that is beyond reproach. We are using hunting as a conservation tool, but when the tool is abused in this way, it destroys the whole principle.” 
 
 He added: “The culprits should be brought to book and punished at the highest level. This is really reckless.” 
 
 Cecil’s death is yet another blow to Zimbabwe’s economy, which is teetering under president Robert Mugabe. Fundira said: “We are extremely saddened. Cecil was a drawcard, well-known in the industry. Travellers came from all over the world for the experience and it’s been taken away. 
 
 “If you imagine the amount being talked about as changing hands, $50,000, the country has been short-changed. An iconic animal like that is worth much more in the long term. It’s a huge loss and people are grieving.” 
 
 The Zimbabwean Parks & Wildlife Authority said Bronkhorst and the local landowner, Honest Ndlovu, will appear in court in Victoria Falls on Wednesday to face poaching charges. 
 
 
 
 “Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt,” it added. 
 
 If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison. Palmer also faces poaching charges, according to police spokeswoman Charity Charamba. “We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case,” she said. 
 
 A Texan hunter shot an elderly black rhino in Namibia in May after buying a government-issued licence for $350,000 (£224,000). ||||| Cecil the lion – the most famous creature in one of Zimbabwe 's national parks – was killed by an American hunter who has boasted about shooting a menagerie of animals with his bow and arrow, The Telegraph can reveal. 
 
 Walter James Palmer , a dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have paid £35,000 to shoot and kill the much-loved lion with a bow and arrow. 
 
 The animal was shot on July 1 in Hwange National Park. Two independent sources have confirmed the hunter's identity to the paper, which has also seen a copy of the relevant hunting permit. 
 
 Conservation groups in Zimbabwe reacted angrily to the news that the 13-year-old animal had been killed: partly because the lion was known to visitors and seemingly enjoyed human contact, and partly because of the way in which he was killed. He was lured out of the national park and shot. 
 
 
 
 A flyer posted on Dr. Palmer's River Bluff Dental office in Bloomington, Minnesota 
 
 "He never bothered anybody," said Johnny Rodrigues, the head of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. "He was one of the most beautiful animals to look at." 
 
 In a statement, Mr Palmer told Colorado News the authorities had yet to contact him and added he did not know the lion he had killed was a "local favourite". 
 
 
 
 Stuffed animals left outside Walter Palmer's dental practice 
 
 "In early July, I was in Zimbabwe on a bow hunting trip for big game. I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted," he said. 
 
 
 
 Walter Palmer's Eden Prairie home 
 
 "I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. 
 
 
 
 Walter Palmer in his River Bluff dental practice 
 
 "I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the US about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have. Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion." 
 
 • The real scandal of killing Cecil the lion: the price 
 
 During the hunt – which the organisers later admitted was badly carried out – it was alleged that Cecil was lured at night about half a mile out of the national park using bait, and then shot with a bow and arrow. The next day he was found wounded by the hunters and killed, before being beheaded and skinned. 
 
 Animals cannot be killed within the confines of the park. The hunters then removed his collar – further contravening park rules. 
 
 The professional hunter, Theo Bronkhorst, said he reported the "mistake" to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority the following day, and it is now being investigated. The landowner bordering the national park has been charged - along with Mr Bronkhorst. 
 
 On Tuesday, Zimbabwe National Parks issued a statement confirming the charges. 
 
 "Theo Bronkhorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris, is facing criminal charges for allegedly killing a collared lion on Antoinette farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange district on 1 July 2015," the statement said. 
 
 
 
 Cecil the lion in Hwange, Zimbabwe 
 
 "All persons implicated in this case are due to appear in court facing poaching charges. 
 
 "Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt." 
 
 
 
 Ben Goldsmith, 26, and Leah Kilpatrick, 27, both from Los Angeles, arrive outside Dr. Palmer's Eden Prairie home 
 
 Mr Bronkhorst, who will appear at Hwange magistrates court on Wednesday, said he was unaware of Cecil's fame. 
 
 "It was a magnificent, mature lion. We did not know it was well-known lion. I had a licence for my client to shoot a lion with a bow and arrow in the area where it was shot," he said. 
 
 Mr Rodrigues said the authorities in Zimbabwe were troubled by events. 
 
 • Big game hunting of yesteryear: From Roosevelt to George V 
 
 "There's considerable embarrassment about this - the Americans have banned the import of elephant trophies," he said. "We believe the head and pelt are still in Bulawayo. 
 
 "They should be charged with poaching," he said. "If you're a local and you kill an animal without a licence you get between two and five years in prison." 
 
 
 
 The dental offices of Walter Palmer in Bloomington, Minnesota (AP) 
 
 Mr Palmer, the client, describes himself as coming from North Dakota and having "a unique talent for creating dazzling smiles that complement each individuals tooth structure, skin tone, and facial attributes." A request for comment left with his office had not yet been returned on Tuesday. 
 
 His website states that: "Anything allowing him to stay active and observe and photograph wildlife is where you will find Dr Palmer when he not in the office." 
 
 He also has a well-documented fondness for shooting wild animals around the globe. 
 
 
 
 Mr Palmer with a leopard, shot in Zimbabwe in 2010 
 
 "He came to Spain to hunt with us four or five years ago," said Guiseppe Carrizosa, a professional hunter based in Madrid. Mr Carrizosa told The Telegraph that Mr Palmer and his wife travelled to Europe to shoot chamois, fallow deer and ibex, among other animals. Mr Palmer's reputation is such that he was listed as a client on Mr Carrizosa's website, to publicise the tours. 
 
 "He was a real expert shot," Mr Carrizosa said. "Bow hunting attracts people because there is much more stalking involved; you have to get very close. With a gun you can kill an animal from hundreds of metres." 
 
 Hunting blogs feature images of him proudly showing off a 175lb leopard, which he killed with an arrow in Zimbabwe in the summer of 2010. 
 
 Walt Palmer poses with a dead elk 
 
 Other images show him posing with elk, and even with a huge endangered sheep – the Nevada Bighorn. 
 
 California Desert Bighorn Sheep are one of the most coveted animals for hunters. Each year more than $200,000 is raised by the auction of the permits to shoot dead three Desert Bighorn Sheep. 
 
 A New York Times report detailing one of Mr Palmer's hunts, in 2009, described him as "capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow." He jokingly told the reporter that his life revolved around shooting, and that he "doesn't have a golf game". 
 
 The paper said that, having learnt to shoot at the age of five, Mr Palmer paid $45,000 at an auction for the right to shoot an elk in 2009, in a sale promoted as financing preservation of the elk habitat. 
 
 
 
 Walter Palmer 
 
 The father of two had, according to the paper, killed all but one of the animals listed in records produced by bow hunting group Pope and Young. The animals on the list include polar bears, bison, grizzly bears and cougars. 
 
 "Of course, it is a personal achievement to harvest any big-game animal with a bow and arrow," said Glen Hisey, the curator of the Pope and Young records programme. "It is a way of honouring that animal for all time." 
 
 Mr Palmer has also run into legal woes. In 2008, court records show, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal wildlife officials concerning the exact location of the slaying of a black bear during a guided hunt in Wisconsin. He was sentenced to a year probation. 
 
 Lion hunting using firearms is legal in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania – and bow and arrow hunting is legal in all the same countries but Tanzania. 
 
 
 
 Walt Palmer, middle, with the "world record" white rhino killed by bow in South Africa. Mr Palmer is pictured with Pierre Vorster, a professional hunter 
 
 Individual hunting outfits are given a certain number of permits each year to hunt individual species, but in countries like Zimbabwe the system is also open to corruption. 
 
 According to the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter and Guides Association, bow hunting is only permissible in private hunting concessions or communal hunting areas - never in a national park or government-controlled safari area. 
 
 Lions are hunted either statically, by hanging bait from a tree then hiding nearby, or by stalking. According to Zimbabwean conservationists, hunting by bow and arrow is on the increase because is it silent and therefore those hunting illegally or unethically are not detected by the authorities. 
 
 The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University has tracked the Hwange lions since 1999 to measure the impact of sport hunting beyond the park on the lion population within the park, using radar and direct observation. 
 
 According to figures published by National Geographic, 34 of their 62 tagged lions died during the study period – 24 were shot by sport hunters. 
 
 Dr Andrew Loveridge, one of the principal researchers on the project, told the publication that Cecil and another male lion named Jericho led two prides with six lionesses and a dozen young cubs, and he feared for the safety of the cubs now Cecil had been killed. 
 
 "Jericho as a single male will be unable to defend the two prides and cubs from new males that invade the territory. This is what we most often see happening in these cases. Infanticide is the most likely outcome," he said. 
 
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– It's the dawn of a new, uncomfortable day for Dr. Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who achieved infamy yesterday when it was revealed he was the hunter who felled the beloved lion Cecil in Zimbabwe. The New York Times and Washington Post today have more on how Palmer and his guides lured the 13-year-old lion out of his sanctuary in Hwange National Park: According to the chair of the non-governmental Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, Palmer's party sighted the lion at night using a spotlight, and affixed a dead animal to their car to lead Cecil from the reserve into unprotected territory. It claims the men scented an area about three-tenths of a mile from the park. Cecil was first injured by a shot from Palmer's crossbow, then killed nearly two days later by Palmer, via gun. Chair Johnny Rodrigues alleges that "the hunters then found that the dead lion was wearing a [GPS] tracking collar, which they unsuccessfully tried to hide." Cecil was skinned and beheaded, and his body "left to rot in the sun," as the Times puts it. Rodrigues yesterday said the head has been tracked down and impounded as evidence, reports the Guardian. The BBC adds that it's thought Cecil was killed July 1, though his corpse wasn't found until days later. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association say "ongoing investigations to date suggest that the killing of the lion was illegal since the land owner was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015. Therefore, all persons implicated in this case are due to appear in court facing poaching charges." Professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and landowner Honest Ndlovu accompanied Palmer and are making that court appearance today; the poaching charges carry up to 15 years. A parks and wildlife rep told the Post professional hunters and landowners are usually the first to be charged in these instances. Palmer is reportedly being sought in connection with the case. Here's what Palmer has to say.