Walter Palmer, the American Dentist Who Killed Cecil the Lion, Will Not Be Charged

Walter Palmer proven innocent in killing famed lion

Zimbabwe has decided not to charge the American dentist who killed Cecil the Lion.

Environment Cabinet Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri says Walter Palmer—a lifelong, big-game hunter who killed the country's most prized lion with a bow and arrow outside Hwange National Park in Western Zimbabwe—had obtained legal authority and all the proper paperwork to conduct the hunt, according to Reuters. Thus, he cannot be charged.

"We approached the police and then the Prosecutor General, and it turned out that Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order," Muchinguri-Kashiri told reporters.

However, the two other men involved in the hunt—professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and game park owner Honest Ndlovu—will still face charges related to Cecil's death as they allegedly lured the lion out of the park in order to kill him.

Bronkhorst is charged with breaching hunting rules, while Ndlovu is charged with allowing an illegal hunt. Both have denied the charges.

The trio of men reportedly first shot Cecil with a bow and arrow, but when that didn't kill him, they tracked him down 40 hours later and shot him with a gun. After trying and failing to destroy his GPS collar, they skinned and beheaded the beloved lion.

The gut-wrenching news of Cecil's death prompted worldwide outrage. Many celebrities took to their social media handles to publicly slam Palmer and speak out on behalf of the famous lion.

Palmer eventually released a letter of apology, claiming he "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."

Though he still believes everything he did during the hunt was legal and proper, he added, "I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion. That was never my intention."

Since then, Palmer returned to work at his Bloomington, Minn., dental practice in early September—a moment that was met with many protestors and outraged activists.