Police in Zimbabwe have said they urgently want to speak to the American dentist who killed one of Africa's most famous lions with a bow and arrow earlier this month.
Emmanuel Fundira, the president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday that Dr. Walter Palmer is wanted for the death of Cecil the lion but that his whereabouts were unknown.
Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said 'we are looking for Palmer' who allegedly paid $55,000 (£35,000) for a big game permit and traveled from his home town of Minneapolis to Africa to kill the lion.
Dr. Palmer's hunting colleagues, Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu are due to appear in court this week on poaching charges for allegedly killing Cecil.
'We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case,' said Charamba.
The much loved big cat was wounded by an arrow after he was allegedly lured out of the national park by the hunter's bait. After spending two days tracking the injured beast, Cecil was eventually found and shot dead.
The corpse was then skinned and the head hacked off as a trophy.
Walter Palmer (left), from Minnesota, has admitted to being the hunter who shot and killed Cecil the Lion (not pictured) in Zimbabwe
Cecil the lion (pictured) was lured outside the park and was initially wounded by an arrow before being stalked, shot and beheaded for a trophy
However, speaking to the Star Tribune on Tuesday morning, Dr. Palmer said he was unaware of Cecil's fame and expressed regret but denied any illegality and laid any blame firmly at the door of his guides.
'I hired several professional guides, and they secured all proper permits,' the statement read. 'To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.
Hunted: Walter James Palmer was identified on Tuesday by both the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force and the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe as the American hunter, a name that police then confirmed
'I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.'
'Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.'
Professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu are due to appear in court this week on poaching charges for allegedly killing Cecil.
If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison.
After Dr. Palmer was identified as the hunter who killed Cecil, the furore which erupted caused the dentist to go into hiding.
His dental practice was closed when reporters went to knock on the door and a note on the father-of-two's home address referred all callers to a public relations firm in Minneapolis, according to the Star Tribune.
Palmer is a member of the Safari Club International, which has approximately 55,000 members across the world.
The dentist is a specialist bow and arrow hunter and on the SCI website has 43 registered kills.
Dr. Palmer, the client of Bronkhorst, is thought to have hunted game in Zimbabwe before and once told the New York Times he is 'capable of skewering a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow.'
His passion for hunting has also landed him in trouble before with the law. Mr Palmer pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the precise location of where he killed a black bear in 2008.
Palmer was placed on a one year probation and fined $2939 after it was found that he was not licensed to kill the bear in that particular area.
The passionate hunter describes himself on his dentist website as having 'a unique talent for creating dazzling smiles that complement each individuals tooth structure, skin tone, and facial attributes.'
However, since his role in Cecil's death has been uncovered, animal lovers have laid siege to Dr Palmer's website, posting incredibly negative and abusive reviews.
Some of the comments, which are being regularly deleted, threatened acts of violence against Dr Palmer, with suggestions that his practice should be attacked.
The married father of two also states that outside of work he enjoys anything which allows him 'to stay active and observe and photograph wildlife.'
His passion for hunting has led him to use his archery skills to kill all but one of the animals listed on respected bowhunting organization Pope and Young's records. The hunting group's list includes tough targets like polar bears, leopards, rhinos and lions.
Walter Palmer (pictured in red shorts) has previously been fined for lying to authorities about where he shot dead a bear
Dr. Palmer owns the River Bluff Dental practice in Bloomington, Minnesota. Social media accounts belonging to the dental practice and its Yelp page were inundated with furious comments about Cecil
According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), the hunt began on July 6. 'They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil,' said the ZCTF's Johnny Rodrigues.
'They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park.'
Rodrigues revealed that Palmer shot his bow and arrow at Cecil, but failed to kill him and that they stalked the wounded and stricken lion for 40 hours before finally shooting him dead and beheading him.
He added: 'The head – his trophy – has been impounded and confiscated as evidence for the court in Victoria Falls'.
And to add to the outrage surrounding the death of Cecil, the future of the cubs of his pride are now thought to be at risk. The cubs could be killed if the pride is taken over by another male lion.
'The saddest part of all is that now that Cecil is dead, the next lion in the hierarchy, Jericho, will most likely kill all Cecil's cubs,' Rodrigues said.
A spokesman for Palmer told the Guardian that Palmer was 'obviously quite upset over everything.'
'As far as I understand, Walter believes that he might have shot that lion that has been referred to as Cecil,' the spokesman said. 'What he'll tell you is that he had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides, so he's not denying that he may be the person who shot this lion. He is a big-game hunter; he hunts the world over.'
Immediately after being identified, the dentist's yelp review page was being being flooded with furious comments and threats today after he was identified as Cecil's killer.
'Nothing in this world would give me greater pleasure than to see your head mounted on a wall, your carcass defiled, degraded and paraded as you did to Cecil and near countless other animals,' wrote one person.
Trophy: Walter Palmer with another one of his kills. Palmer is an expert shot with a bow and arrow and poses proudly with his hunted rhino which is traditionally known as one of the Big Five game animals in Africa
Elk trophy: Walter James Palmer was identified on Tuesday by both the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force and the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe as the American hunter who killed Cecil the lion, which police then confirmed
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