Cecil The Lion: Walter Palmer Goes Missing As Authorities Investigate Protected Animal's Death [PHOTO]
Dr. Walter Palmer appears to have gone missing.
Jimmy Kimmel Pays Tribute To Cecil The Lion
The dentist, who has become one of the most hated men in America this week after he was identified as the tourist responsible for Cecil the Lion's death in Zimbabwe earlier this month, is being sought by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Zimbabwean officials-but no one has been able to track him down.
According to The Washington Post, investigators for the U.S. have knocked on the front door of Palmer's Eden Prairie, Minn. home, stopped by his now-closed dental offices, called all phone numbers associated with him and filled his inbox with emails-but has had no success luring him out of hiding.
Protesters Trash Walter Palmer's Dental Office
"I'm sure he knows the government is looking for him," Ed Grace, chief of law enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the newspaper. "We've made repeated attempts to try and get in contact with him."
They aren't the only ones who want to talk to Palmer either, as officials in Zimbabwe are calling for Palmer's extradition back to the country to face charges there, as Cecil was a protected lion who was lured out of the Hwange National Park by Palmer and two guides before Palmer shot him with a bow and arrow, tracked him for 40 hours, shot him with a rifle, and then skinned and decapitated him.
"We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be held accountable for his illegal action," Zimbabwe's environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said at a news conference July 31.
However, since making a statement via email after his identity was revealed earlier this week, Palmer has fallen off the radar and authorities have not been able to track him down.
In the statement, Palmer said he deeply regretted his actions and believed his hunt had been legal. He also insisted that he had not yet been contacted by any authorities, but would cooperate if he was.
"I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have," he said at the time.
Meanwhile, protesters have continued to sit vigil outside of his dental office, River Bluff Dental, which had become the site of a memorial for Cecil-as well as various signs calling not only for Palmer's extradition, but in some cases, his death.
