Exclusive: The Telegraph obtains first images of Walter Palmer in Minnesota since beloved lion was killed
|
|
|
|
|
|
These are the first images of Walter Palmer, the American dentist, back in his home town after it was revealed by The Telegraph last month that he was responsible for the death of Cecil the lion.
Pictured for the first since the hunt in Minnesota, Mr Palmer has been in hiding since the worldwide furore surrounding the death of the beloved lion in one of Zimbabwe’s national parks.
His return to normal life coincided with a letter announcing that the dental practice he owns was reopening – but without the embattled hunter.
“Today, River Bluff Dental employees and dentists are beginning to serve our loyal patients,” the firm said in a letter dated Monday. “Dr Palmer is not on site.”
The dental practice website was still offline, but the news was announced on a Twitter account claiming to belong to the practice.
The account, which was started after the news of Cecil’s killing was announced, has been used to rally support for the practice since The Telegraph named Dr Palmer as the man responsible for the animal’s death on July 28.
“A smile takes but a moment, but the memories of it last forever. Happy #WorldLionDay!” they tweeted on August 10, with a photo of two lions bearing their teeth.
“Don’t understand why people are so angry. What’s done is done. The practice WILL be open again! Promise!!!”
Last week they tweeted: “The practice is still closed even though people care less and less about #CecilTheLion day after day. Fickle people.”
Mr Palmer is believed to have paid £35,000 to shoot and kill the 13-year-old lion with a bow and arrow. The animal was wearing a radio collar because he was part of an academic study by Oxford University.
Walter Palmer, the dentist responsible for killing Cecil the lion Photo: Richard Beetham/The Telegraph/Splash News
The animal was shot on July 1 in Hwange National Park. There have been calls for Mr Palmer to be extradited to face charges in Zimbabwe – something highly unlikely to happen.
Walter Palmer, the dentist responsible for killing Cecil the lion Photo: Richard Beetham/The Telegraph/Splash News
The professional hunter who accompanied the American, Theo Bronkhorst, is facing charges of carrying out an illegal hunt.
Last week, Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, blamed his own people for allowing Cecil to be killed by the dentist, telling them they “failed to protect” a national resource from foreign “vandals”.
Exposing the Big Game 
I hope people ban the whole practice – talk about inappropriate,indifferent, and cruel posts. They all suck ass.
He has a bizarre walk.
He’s still ugly.
Funny. He looks rather pathetic and weak (just like these PR attempts) without his weapons and camo, doesn’t he?
This is his ‘handlers’ attempts to ‘humanize’ him to the public and gain sympathy. Look at the poor scrawny, beat-down man. Hasn’t he suffered enough, have a heart! But that doesn’t mean he should get away scott free.