After sparking an outcry against trophy hunting, American dentist Walter J. Palmer - the hunter that killed Zimbabwe's famous lion Cecil - will not be prosecuted for his hunt.
BBC reports Palmer admitted to killing the 13-year-old lion but has publicly explained that he didn't have any idea the lion he shot was a major attraction and that his hunt was legal.
"I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits," Palmer wrote in his statement. "To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt."
Despite previously calling for extradition and prosecution, Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri says Palmer could not be charged for his "papers were in order".
"We approached the police and then the Prosecutor General, and it turned out that [Walter] Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order," Muchinguru told BBC.
Palmer paid $50,000 to wildlife guides to secure all his requirements.
Since July, protesters have been targeting the 55-year-old dentist which prompted him to take a two-month break from work. Last month, Palmer explained that he didn't have shot Cecil if he knew who it was.
"If I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study obviously I wouldn't have taken it," Palmer told Associated Press. "Nobody in our hunting party knew before or after the name of this lion."
Palmer added his wife and daughter were also threatened.
"They've been threatened in the social media, and again... I don't understand that level of humanity to come after people not involved at all," he added.
When he was asked if he still have plans to go back in Zimbabwe, Palmer said he doesn't know yet. He added, "Zimbabwe has been a wonderful country for me to hunt in, and I have always followed the laws."
