A Murrysville doctor accused of participating in an illegal African hunt was not included in a Zimbabwean extradition request issued Monday, as the government lifted a temporary ban on most lion, leopard and elephant hunts in that country. The order does ask for the extradition of the Minnesota dentist who killed a lion during a hunt there in July.
Jan Seski, a gynecological oncologist with practices in Oakland and West Mifflin, was accused early this month by authorities in Zimbabwe of killing a lion during an illegal hunt in April. The doctor is a big-game hunter who has participated in several African safaris.
No charges have been filed against Dr. Seski, who has declined interview requests. His attorney has said the doctor can prove he was not in Zimbabwe in April and possesses documents showing that a lion he shot in July was taken legally. On Monday, a receptionist said his practices have remained open.
The hunting ban imposed Aug. 2 in Zimbabwe followed international outrage over the killing of two lions outside Hwange National Park, about 370 miles southeast of Harare, the capital. The lifting of the ban excludes several properties where all sport hunting has been suspended pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
The initial incident that prompted the ban was the questionable killing in July of a 13-year-old well-known lion by Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer. Authorities said bait was used to lure the lion, known as Cecil, off protected lands onto private property, where it eventually was killed.
No charges have been filed against Mr. Palmer. His whereabouts are unknown.
Honest Ndlovu, the landowner accused of failing to obtain hunting permits in that hunt, is in custody. Theo Bronkhorst, the safari operator who organized the hunt, was released from jail on $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday on charges of failing to prevent an illegal hunt, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The unregistered guides, accused of luring the lion off the park, removing and destroying a research radio collar from the animal and lying about it, are in jail and could be sentenced to 15 years.
“Both the professional hunter and landowner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt,” the Zimbabwean Parks and Wildlife Authority said.
At a news conference Monday, Zimbabwe environment minister Oppah Muchinguri, who last week called Mr. Palmer a “foreign poacher,” said Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s government had requested his extradition.
“The two other criminals, locals, have already appeared before our local court,” Ms. Muchinguri said. “... I understand that already the processes have started and we are looking forward to [Mr. Palmer’s] extradition. There is so much outcry now … and we need that support because this is the route we are taking in Zimbabwe. We are taking the issue very seriously.”
When news of the questionable hunt surfaced, Mr. Palmer told reporters he assumed the hunt organizer, landowner and guides had obtained the proper permits. Baiting a park animal wearing a radio collar onto a farm not designated for hunting and shooting it would result in game law violations punishable by fines. But if a prosecutor proves that Mr. Palmer assisted in or was aware of his guides’ removal, destruction and hiding of the collar and later denying it, as alleged, he could be imprisoned under Zimbabwean law for conspiracy to commit a crime.
But that may never happen, even though the White House has received a petition containing more than 100,000 signatures urging the Obama administration to deliver Mr. Palmer to Zimbabwe authorities. The United States and Zimbabwe have an extradition agreement. A White House spokesman said extradition requests would be handled by the Justice Department.
Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it had opened an inquiry into the matter, and following a two-year campaign the United Nations passed a resolution calling on all countries to step up efforts to tackle illicit wildlife poaching and trafficking.
The temporary ban on hunting affected only safari hunters who had booked trips on the days it was in place, said a spokeswoman for the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe.
“Of course this affects people who’ve made a deposit on a hunt,” she said. “I know they’ve allowed lion hunting again — it’s part of our conservation hunting. When it’s done right, it works very well.”
John Hayes: 412-263-1991, jhayes@post-gazette.com.
An earlier version of this article had incorrect information regarding an extradition agreement between the U.S. and Zimbabwe.
First Published: August 11, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
