Justice for Cecil: Lion petition reaches 1 MILLION signatures by enraged animal lovers

Walter Palmer (left) celebrating the death of another lion

A PETITION calling for Zimbabwe to end trophy hunting in light of the brutal murder of Cecil the lion has reached more than one MILLION signatures.

 

The killing of beloved Cecil at the hands of US dentist Walter Palmer caused outrage around the world from animal lovers who were sickened by the slaughter.

The lion was allegedly lured out of Hwange National Park before he was wounded with a bow and arrow then tracked down for 40 hours, shot and skinned.

Palmer claimed he relied on his professional guides to ensure the hunt was legal, and said he had no idea of the lion's famous identity.

 

The death of Cecil the lion has sparked outrage around the world

It is understood he paid £35,000 ($50,000) to kill the famous creature.

But now millions of enraged Cecil fans have called on Zimbabwe to stop issuing permits for trophy hunting, in a petition called 'Justice for Cecil the lion'.

After giving a brief description of how Cecil was brutally killed, the petition states: "Please sign the petition to demand justice for Cecil!

"Tell Zimbabwe to stop issuing hunting permits to kill endangered animals!"

 

The milestone came as authorities in Zimbabwe revealed they have started the legal process to seek the extradition of Palmer from Minnesota, claiming he did not have authorisation to kill Cecil the lion.

The White House said it would review another public petition calling for the extradition after more than 100,000 people signed it .

Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri said: "We are appealing for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be held accountable for his illegal action.

"It was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher because he had already absconded to his country of origin."

Two Zimbabwean citizens were arrested in connection to the death of Cecil and currently face poaching charges.

Last night the face of the majestic lion was projected onto New York's Empire State Building in a campaign to highlight the plight of endangered species.

Stunning pictures of the famous monument showed Cecil being beamed for all to see in a bid to raise awareness of the "most beautiful - and threatened - species".

The emotional tribute was the first time the Empire State Building had allowed a live video display to be shown.