Case against dentist who killed lion dropped

Zimbabwe abandoned on Monday its bid to press charges against a US dentist who killed Cecil the lion, saying his papers “were in order” and that he didn’t know he was committing an offence.

The black-maned lion was shot dead with a bow and arrow in July by a US trophy hunter called Walter Palmer in a hunt that provoked worldwide outrage. 

Palmer paid $55,000 (50,000 euros) to shoot the lion on an expedition led by professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst.

The hunt <g data-gr-id="10">provoke</g> a storm of criticism after it emerged that Cecil was a well-known attraction among visitors to the Hwange National Park.