Lion Killing Dentist's Florida Home Vandalized

As the Minnesota dentist accused of illegally killing a beloved research lion in Zimbabwe faces the potential of extradition, Florida vandals are making their opinions known.

Dr. Walter Palmer’s Marco Island home was vandalized sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, Fox News is reporting. “Lion Killer” was spray painted on the front of the home’s garage door. Pigs feet were found in the driveway while animal crackers were spread on the lawn.

The case remains under investigation by the Marco Island Police Department as Palmer remains in hiding following international backlash related to the death of the 13-year-old male lion that was considered a national treasure in Zimbabwe. Palmer has stated he believed the hunt that resulted in Cecil’s death was conducted legally, but Zimbabwean officials say otherwise.

On Monday, a Zimbabwean diplomat was quoted by the Star Tribune as saying his government intended to act with haste in requesting the extradition of Palmer. The United States and Zimbabwe signed an extradition treaty in 2000. It remains unclear if the American government will honor the extradition request.

See Also:

• Predictably, Ted Nugent Defends Dentist Who Killed Cecil the Lion
• Dentist Wanted in Death of Majestic Lion Cecil on Pay-to-Kill Hunt
• Internet Rages at American Dentist Who Shot Cecil the Lion

In the meantime, Palmer, a known big-game hunter, has reportedly gone into hiding, the Star Tribune reported. The dentist would not reveal his location during a Monday interview.

As controversy around the lion’s killing continues to swirl, Delta Airlines announced Monday it would no longer allow shipment of some trophy animals on board its flights. Those animals include lions, elephants, leopards and buffaloes.

On the flipside of the debate, rocker Ted Nugent, a well-known hunting rights activist, has gone on the record defending Palmer. Nugent said if he were able to, he’d apologize to Palmer for the treatment he’s endured.

“I would say I’m sorry that our society has become so dumbed down and so soul-less, as to threaten you and your family’s lives, because you killed a lion that needed to be killed,” he said Sunday in an interview for the Rita Cosby Show on WABC radio in New York.

He said people are outraged about Cecil’s death only because the lion was given a name. Getting upset about Cecil and not other lions “is disingenuous and tragically dishonest,” Nugent told Cosby.

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