Harare – Zimbabwe wants Cecil the lion’s killer extradited from the US, the country’s state broadcaster reported on Saturday.
“Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri confirms the development saying the [prosecutor-general] is working on the case,” the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported on its website.
US dentist Walter Palmer, 55, is in hiding in the US following widespread outrage after Cecil was hunted in early July. He was one of the star attractions in the Hwange National Park.
Zimbabwean authorities have already begun criminal proceedings against local professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst.
He was allegedly involved in luring Cecil out of the park so Palmer could shoot him with a hunting bow.
Over 100 000 people had signed a petition in the US by the end of last month calling for Palmer to face justice in Zimbabwe.
On Monday, Palmer’s holiday home in Florida was defaced with graffiti saying “Lion killer”.
Zimbabwe and the US signed an extradition treaty in July 1997.
According to Zimbabwe’s poaching regulations, Palmer could face up to 15 years in jail.
Zimbabwe’s jails are notoriously underfunded, dirty and disease-riddled.
Five prisoners were killed in a riot over poor food in Harare’s maximum security Chikurubi prison in March.
Buckets are used as toilets, and sometimes prisoners have to rip out pages of the Bible for toilet paper.
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