New lion poaching charge against 2nd American
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Wildlife authorities in Zimbabwe on Sunday alleged that a second American killed a lion in an illegal hunt several months ago.
In a statement, officials said that a second person, Headman Sibanda, had been arrested in relation to a lion killing in April, and not the killing of Cecil the lion. They said Sibanda was taken into custody "for breaching hunting regulations in that he hunted without a quota and permit at his Railway Farm 31 and is also the owner of Nyala Safaris which conducted the hunt."
The Zimbabwe government said Sibanda has been helping police with their investigation, and they named Jan Casmir Sieski of Murrysville, Pa., as a suspect in the illegal lion hunt in April.
Also on Sunday, officials dismissed a report of the shooting death of a male lion who was a companion of Cecil, a well-known lion killed alleged to have been by American hunter Dr. Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist, in early July. Officials in Zimbabwe have called for Palmer's extradition to face chargers.
The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority released a photograph of the lion named Jericho that it said was taken Sunday morning.
A statement from the authority said Jericho "is still alive and being monitored" by Brent Stapelkamp, who is following Jericho's movements with the help of a satellite collar on the lion.
The Facebook page of a group called the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Saturday that Jericho was killed.
Cecil's killing sparked an international outcry. Zimbabwean authorities called it an illegal hunt.
Stapelkamp said Cecil and Jericho oversaw two prides together. The statement from the wildlife authority said the two lions were partners in a "coalition" but were not related.
Palmer has come under intense scrutiny since news of Cecil's demise was spread around.
He sent an email to patients insisting he did not know Cecil was a protected lion. This comes as the guide who led that hunting trip in Zimbabwe suggests Cecil was not the only animal Palmer wanted to kill, CBS News' David Begnaud reports.
In an interview with British newspaper The Telegraph, Palmer's guide, Theo Bronkhorst, said the hunt went "wrong from the beginning."
"We were never meant to hunt on the land where this lion was shot," Bronkhorst said.
Bronkhorst said an elephant carcass was "dragged and moved into the long grass and used for bait."
He claims Palmer shot an arrow at Cecil but wasn't sure if the beloved lion was hit. The next morning, the injured animal was found, and Bronkhorst said Palmer finished him off with a second arrow.
Later, Bronkhorst said Palmer asked "If we would find him an elephant larger than 63 pounds ... (the weight of one tusk), which is a very large elephant, but I told him I would not be able to find one so big, so the client left the next day."