Cecil Hunter's Charges Dropped: Man Who Organized Lion Hunt Cleared

A court in Zimbabwe has dropped charges against the professional hunter who organized the trip that led to the killing of Cecil the lion last year.

The reason given for throwing out the charges is that they “were too vague to enable him to mount a proper defense,” BBC News reported. The lawyer for the hunter, Theo Bronkhorst, has maintained that no illegal act was committed.

Cecil lived at Hwange National Park when he was shot by American dentist Walter Palmer with a bow and arrow. Palmer, who was not charged in the incident, paid about $54,000 to hunt Cecil in July 2015.

Worldwide outrage resulted when pictures of Palmer with the kill surfaced on social media, and a global campaign began to make trophy lion hunting illegal.

Bronkhorst’s role as a professional hunter, or PH, included making arrangements for the trip, getting permits and licenses, and making sure the hunt was conducted legally. Officials for Hwange National Park first said that Bronkhorst and farm owner Honest Ndlovu did not have a permit to kill the lion.

When the government decided not to charge Palmer, it stated that the documentation for the hunt was legitimate. Bronkhorst maintains that he had all the proper permits to hunt an elderly lion outside the national park boundaries, the BBC stated.

Cecil the lion attracted many tourists to Hwange. He was typically friendly toward visitors and led two prides of lions at the park. An Oxford research project on lion conservation was monitoring Cecil, and he was recognizable because of his size and black mane.

• Walter Palmer, Cecil the Lion's Killer, Cleared in Zimbabwe
  
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