A hunting guide and a farm owner appeared in court Wednesday on allegations they helped an American dentist kill a protected lion named Cecil, and the head of Zimbabwe's safari association said the big cat was unethically lured into the kill zone and denied "a chance of a fair chase."

The Zimbabwean men were accused of aiding Walter James Palmer, who reportedly paid $50,000 to track and kill the black-maned lion. Zimbabwe police have said they are looking for Palmer, whose exact whereabouts were unknown.

During the nighttime hunt, the men tied a dead animal to their car to draw the lion out of a national park, said Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.

The American is believed to have shot it with a crossbow, injuring the cat. The wounded lion was tracked for 40 hours before Palmer fatally shot it with a gun, Rodrigues said.

A professional hunter named Theo Bronkhorst was accused of failing to "prevent an unlawful hunt." Court documents say Bronkhorst was supervising while Palmer shot the animal.

Bronkhorst was released on $1,000 bail after appearing at the Hwange magistrate's court, about 435 miles (700 kilometers) west of the capital Harare, according to his defense lawyer, Givemore Muvhiringi.

If convicted, Bronkhorst faces up to 15 years in prison.

A second man, farm owner Honest Trymore Ndlovu, also appeared in court but was not charged and was released from custody, his lawyer Tonderai Makuku said.


Theodro Bronkhorst, centre, a professional hunter, arrives for his appearance at the magistrates courts in Hwange about 700 kilometres south west of Harare, Wednesday, July 29, 2015.(PHOTO/AP)

The court documents made no mention of Palmer as a suspect.

Using bait to lure the lion is deemed unethical by the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, of which Bronkhorst is a member. The association has since revoked his license.

"Ethics are certainly against baiting. Animals are supposed to be given a chance of a fair chase," Emmanuel Fundira, the association's president, said Tuesday. "In fact, it was not a hunt at all. The animal was baited, and that is not how we do it. It is not allowed."

Palmer, a dentist living in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, said in a statement that he was unaware the lion was protected and relied on his guides to ensure a legal hunt.

"I 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," Palmer said in statement through a public-relations firm.

The lion's death stirred outrage worldwide.

If the animal was lured out of the park with food to be shot on private property, Palmer "needs to be extradited, charged and, preferably, hanged," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Wednesday in a statement. The statement emailed to The Associated Press came from Ingrid Newkirk, the group's president.

The dentist, who has not appeared in public since being identified Tuesday as a party to the lion's death, advised patients of the situation in a note, telling them they would be referred to other dentists for the time being.

"I don't often talk about hunting with my patients because it can be a divisive and emotionally charged topic. I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting," the letter obtained by the local Fox TV affiliate said.

Palmer has several hunts on record with the Minnesota-based Pope and Young Club, where archers register big game taken in North America, said Glenn Hisey, the club's director of records. Hisey said he didn't have immediate access to records showing the types and number of animals killed by Palmer, but noted that club records involve legal hunts "taken under our rules of fair chase."

According to U.S. court records, Palmer pleaded guilty in 2008 to making false statements to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about a black bear he fatally shot in western Wisconsin. Palmer had a permit to hunt but shot the animal outside the authorized zone in 2006, then tried to pass it off as being killed elsewhere, according to court documents. He was given one year probation and fined nearly $3,000.

Hisey said he alerted the group's board that Palmer's ethics were being called into question. He said Palmer's domestic records could be jeopardized if he's found to have done something illegal abroad.

Cecil was being studied by an Oxford University research program. He is believed to have been killed July 1 and his carcass discovered days later by trackers.

TV host Jimmy Kimmel paid emotional tribute to Cecil on Tuesday on his late-night show. After recounting details of the lion's death, Kimmel invited viewers to contribute to a wildlife fund.

"If you want to make this into a positive "— then, choking up, he halted for a moment to regain his composure — "make a donation and support them. At the very least, maybe we can show the world that not all Americans are like this jack-hole here."

Lion's death sparks social media protests, counterprotests

Social media were filled with condemnation of the killing just outside Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. On Twitter, the hashtag #CeciltheLion was in wide use. Also in use is #RIPCeciltheLion and #Roar4Cecil, which is filled with pictures and video of animals roaring or appearing to roar, including cats and dogs.

Celebrities are also speaking out:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also weighed in, calling for the Palmer to go to jail:

But not everyone shared their outrage. Counterprotesters have criticized people upset about the lion's death but not showing the same outrage toward another controversial issue: abortion.

Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio took to Twitter to post his frustration with those angry about Cecil's death:

Anti-abortion activists tweeted at Schwarzenegger, Gervais and others, demanding to know where they stand on abortion.

Actress Mia Farrow's Twitter account also faced backlash when she posted Palmer's business address. Some thought she posted his home address.

Farrow deleted the original email as people accused her of publishing the address to get haters to track Palmer down and possibly do him harm.

About a dozen protesters have been standing outside Palmer's dental office.

A few protesters held signs, including one that said, "Let the hunter be hunted!" and another that said, "Extradite Walter Palmer."

Sarah Madison brought her two children, including her 3-year-old son dressed in a lion costume and carrying a sign that said, "Protect me. Don't hunt me." Madison says the hunt, even if legal, was "immoral" and "disgraceful."

Local artist Mark Balma also was outside the office, painting a large picture of an African lion he intends to donate to an organization that protects animals.

Even review website Yelp has been inundated with posts from angry animal activists. Accounts for Palmer and his office are flooded with negative "reviews" from people.


Two of the many comments posted on Palmer's Yelp page Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Yelp said comments that are not customer experiences will be removed.