Cecil the lion killer Walter Palmer returns to dentist work

Cecil the lion's killer Walter Palmer has returned to work at his dental practice - and was greeted by a crowd of protesters upon arrival.

A group of animal rights protesters shouted "murderer", "extradite Palmer" and "leave town" as Walter arrived at the River Bluff Dental practice in Minnesota.

See also: Zimbabwe suspends big game hunting after Cecil the lion death

See also: Ricky Gervais tweets horrific picture of hunter posing with dead giraffe

The practice reopened without him in mid-August, but Walter, 55, returned to work on Tuesday.

He went into hiding after he killed Cecil the lion on 1 July during a £35,000 hunting trip in Zimbabwe.

The lion was reportedly lured from the Hawnge National Park and endured a slow death with a bow and arrow over two days.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Palmer issued a statement saying the hunt was legal and that no one in the hunting party realised the targeted kill was the famous 13-year-old lion, which wore a tagged collar and was part of an Oxford University research project.

He told reporters that if he had known the significance of Cecil, he wouldn't have "taken it".

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Palmer told reporters: "I have a lot of staff members, and I'm a little heartbroken at the disruption in their lives.

"I'm a health professional. I need to get back to my staff and my patients, and they want me back.

"That's why I'm back."

His first patient was reportedly a fellow hunting enthusiast.

Palmer started hunting at five years old, and has killed numerous animals, including a polar bear, and African elephants.

Palmer has so far not faced charges for the death of Cecil.

According to the Guardian, Theo Bronkhorst, a professional hunter who helped Palmer, has been charged with "failure to prevent an illegal hunt".

Honest Ndlovu faces a charge of allowing the lion hunt to occur on his farm without proper authority.


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