Feds mum on extradition request

The U.S. State Department said that as a matter of policy, it would not comment on specific extradition requests.

                                                             

"Privacy considerations prevent us from commenting further on the status of the U.S. citizen allegedly involved," it said. "For inquiries regarding any law enforcement aspects of the case, we refer you to the government of Zimbabwe or the Department of Justice."

The Department of Justice declined to comment on the extradition request.

Investigations indicate the killing of Cecil was illegal because the landowner "was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015," said a statement from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

                                                             

The lion's death has seen a huge boost in donations for conservation efforts, according to Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. Its researchers had been tracking Cecil since 2008.

So far, $470,000 has been raised, enough to fund research into lion conservation in Hwange National Park for two years, it said. Two U.S. philanthropists, Tom Kaplan and his wife, Daphne Recanati Kaplan, have pledged to match any further donations, up to $100,000, it added.

Lions Like Cecil Aren’t Trophies. USFWS: Don’t Allow Exceptions for Wealthy Hunters

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