Zimbabwe seeks second American 'lion killer'

[webfact]

Zimbabwe alleges 2nd American illegally hunted lion
By FARAI MUTSAKA

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Now there are two: Zimbabwe accused a Pennsylvania doctor on Sunday of illegally killing a lion in April, adding to the outcry over a Minnesota dentist the African government wants to extradite for killing a well-known lion named Cecil in early July.

Zimbabwe's National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority accused Jan Casimir Seski of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, of shooting the lion with a bow and arrow in April near Hwange National Park, without approval, on land where it was not allowed.

Landowner Headman Sibanda was arrested and is assisting police, it said.

Seski is a gynecological oncologist who directs the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

He's also an active big-game hunter, according to safari outfitters and bow-hunting sites where kill shots identify "Dr. Jan Seski" as the man standing next to slain animals including elephants, a hippo, an ostrich and antelopes such as an impala, a kudu, and a nyala.

The Associated Press called and knocked on the door at Seski's home, which is set back among some woods outside Pittsburgh. The AP also left a message with an answering service for his medical practice, with no immediate response.

One image on the Melorani Safaris Facebook page, since taken down, showed Seski posing with the body of a small antelope in 2012, with a caption saying it was killed two days after he shot it with an arrow. Other captions described how his arrows penetrated organs and split bones.

"This Zimbabwe elephant is the sixth African elephant shot by Dr. Jan Seski," Alaska Bowhunting Supply claims in a caption dated September 2014, below a picture of the doctor posing above the dead beast's trunk and tusks.

"The arrow was shot quartering into the elephant, penetrated a rib and one lung, lacerated the heart and liver, and was recovered in the gut. The elephant went a short distance and died. With results like this, no wonder Jan is a firm supporter of our Ultra-Magnum Arrow System."

Alaska Bowhunting Supply didn't immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment, and it wasn't clear how the hunting supply company learned such details about the hunt.

Images of the doctor wearing camouflage and holding high-powered bows match those on Seski's website, where he wears a suit or hospital scrubs. His address and other identifying information given by authorities in Zimbabwe matches those of U.S. medical authorities.

A handful of Seski's neighbors said he mostly keeps to himself and that he'd been buying up the land around his property. Ernest Hahn said Seski put up no-trespassing signs, breaking the rural area's tradition of people feeling free to cross property lines to hunt.

Hahn said Seski can be "quirky," walking around wearing a low-slung pistol "like a gunslinger," for example, but he appreciates that his neighbor is protecting land from development.

"It seemed to me everything he does is aboveboard," Hahn said. "I've never seen him done anything illegal or unsportsmanlike at all."

Seski provided his name and other identifying information for a government database when he came for the hunt, Zimbabwe National Parks spokeswoman Caroline Washaya Moyo said.

"When hunters come into the country they fill a document stating their personal details, the amount they have paid for the hunt, the number of animals to be hunted, the species to be hunted and the area and period where that hunt is supposed to take place," she said. "The American conducted his hunt in an area where lion hunting is outlawed. The landowner who helped him with the hunt also did not have a have a quota for lion hunting."

Seski seemed like a "perfect gentleman" to Stewart Dorrington, who operates Melorani Safaris and owns a game reserve in neighboring South Africa where Seski hunted in 2012.

"He was a great guy," Dorrington said. "Everything he did was perfectly legal and aboveboard and a great help to our conservation efforts."

Dorrington said he converted his cattle ranch into a game reserve in the 1980s. He said funds from trophy hunting of antelope are essential to conserving wildlife.

Dorrington said he received an abusive phone call Sunday; his Facebook page was later closed from view after people began posting threatening comments.

Two other illegal lion hunts also were recorded last year in Zimbabwe, said Geoffrey Matipano, conservation director for the wildlife authority. He did not provide details on those cases.

Zimbabwean authorities have said they will seek the extradition of Minnesota dentist Walter James Palmer, alleging he lacked authorization to kill "Cecil." The lion was lured out of Hwange park, wounded with a bow and arrow and then tracked down and shot, conservationists said.

Palmer said he relied on professional guides to ensure his hunt was legal. Two Zimbabwean citizens were arrested and face charges.

Zimbabwe's wildlife authority has suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants in the Hwange area, and said Saturday that bow and arrow hunts can be approved by only by the head of the wildlife authority.

In Washington, meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., announced the "Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act," which would expand import bans to species proposed for listing as threatened or endangered, as well as those already listed as endangered.

"The logic is that if you keep killing them, they will become endangered," Menendez spokesman Steven Sandberg said Sunday.
___

Contributors include Christopher Torchia in Johannesburg; Kristen De Groot and Ron Todt in Philadelphia and Zach Brendza in Murrysville, Pennsylvania; and Deepti Hajela in New York City.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-08-03

[bendejo]

Being extradited to Zimbabwe, now that is really <deleted>' scary!

[Andaman Al]

I am not sure that the US have ever permitted the extradition of a single US citizen. I might be wrong but iam sure I read it somewhere. But yes it would be very scary!

[CMNightRider]

I'm happy to see trophy hunting brought to light. It is a disgusting sport. It looks like killing "Cecil the lion" was the last straw.

[willyumiii]

Whats up with the American medical men who kill for entertainment?

I thought they valued life!

[Credo]

It's probably a good thing that Sarah Palin never made a trip to Africa.

[stander]

I'm happy to see trophy hunting brought to light. It is a disgusting sport. It looks like killing "Cecil the lion" was the last straw.

Ok so you do not support big game hunting, that's fine, but as I said in a previous post, if this man killed this lion illegally then he should be charged. He should not lose his job, be hounded until driven into hiding, receive death threats nor should his family be brought into all this. But this is mob rule, trial by social media, and who cares about illegal poaching because the vast majority of people sending death threats, hounding this man and his family couldn't give a toss about that. They didn't before this lion was killed.

[BigBadGeordie]

Rather ironic that Dr. Seski directs the Center for BLOODLESS Medicine!

[Bakseeda]

I am not sure that the US have ever permitted the extradition of a single US citizen. I might be wrong but iam sure I read it somewhere. But yes it would be very scary!

About 12 years ago a man was extradited from the USA back to Bangkok on a charge that he hired 2 Thai men to kill his business partner. (boiler room op) The 2 Thai men had been caught and grassed him up. His wife was the daughter of a 5 star general. He got off with the charge. He was the first American citizen to be extradited to Asia and the American authorities only extradited him as the Thai prosecution guaranteed a conviction. Money talks bullshit walks..

Sorry I forget the names but someone out there will remember.

[geriatrickid]

Whats up with the American medical men who kill for entertainment?

I thought they valued life!

Not these 2 sadists. It seems that they are businessmen first. Making money is their primary goal. It may come as a shock but dentists have one of the highest suicide rates by profession, and it is not unusual to have physicians who are perverts, or pedophiles or murderers. It happens. These two just get their jollies killing animals and watching the animals die slow painful deaths. It took Cecil the lion 40 hours until he died.

I'm happy to see trophy hunting brought to light. It is a disgusting sport. It looks like killing "Cecil the lion" was the last straw.

Ok so you do not support big game hunting, that's fine, but as I said in a previous post, if this man killed this lion illegally then he should be charged. He should not lose his job, be hounded until driven into hiding, receive death threats nor should his family be brought into all this. But this is mob rule, trial by social media, and who cares about illegal poaching because the vast majority of people sending death threats, hounding this man and his family couldn't give a toss about that. They didn't before this lion was killed.

He will not lose his job. He will still be able to charge high rates for cosmetic work. This is not mob rule, nor is it trial by social media. This is a case of people being so disgusted and outraged by the cruelty of a dentist who tortured a beloved animal for 40 hours. This dentist and now the gynecologist chose to go to Zimbabwe to take advantage of the poverty. It is hardly sporting to bait and lure an animal from a wild life preserve. It is not responsible hunting to take a head and skin and to leave a carcass behind to rot. No responsible hunter does that.

And please don't tell me the dentist wasn't aware. and can't be blamed. He had both a legal and a moral obligation to be aware. The guides and the hunter with him were acting as the dentist's agents. They were hired by the dentist and under the instruction of the dentist.

Your moral outrage is dead at the outset, because these 2 slime balls went to a pariah state, a state under sanction from the USA because of Zimbabwe's horrible human rights abuses. If these 2 sadists had any morals they would not have been doing business in Zimbabwe.

Because of their wealth and their use of a pariah nation , these two sociopaths thought they were untouchable. Well, society has found out what they did, and they are discovering that their inflated sense of worth isn't worth squat once the great unwashed find out what went on. The people who are most outraged are their peers. Many very wealthy people have spent a fortune protecting habitat and the declining numbers of African animals. There are responsible hunters, who hunt for food. Do you know what responsible hunters do to idiots who just shoot and leave a mess behind? They tear a piece off the idiots.

The dentist deserves what he is getting. He is evil, irresponsible, cruel and pure filth. He is not a proper hunter and broke the cardinal rule of not wasting a kill. In a country where the people are starving, he just left Cecil's carcass to rot. Let him be afraid. Let him worry. Maybe he'll understand what he did was wrong and won't do it again.

[puck2]

It's probably a good thing that Sarah Palin never made a trip to Africa.

Instead send Cheney there, he will "clear" the hunting lovers scenario.

Edited August 3, 2015 by puck2

[Jimlove]

Whats up with the American medical men who kill for entertainment?

I thought they valued life!

I dont think it a coincidence that both these psychoes are doctors ... Think of Dr. Mengele and the likes ... Many doctors have the God complex, never met a doctor I liked ...

[CMNightRider]

I'm happy to see trophy hunting brought to light. It is a disgusting sport. It looks like killing "Cecil the lion" was the last straw.

Ok so you do not support big game hunting, that's fine, but as I said in a previous post, if this man killed this lion illegally then he should be charged. He should not lose his job, be hounded until driven into hiding, receive death threats nor should his family be brought into all this. But this is mob rule, trial by social media, and who cares about illegal poaching because the vast majority of people sending death threats, hounding this man and his family couldn't give a toss about that. They didn't before this lion was killed.

I said, I'm happy to see trophy hunting brought to light because in my opinion it is disgusting. I didn't say I condoned people sending the guy death threats or harassing his family.

I suspect the people participating in harassing this guy and his family are those pesky liberals. They tend to stir up trouble wherever they go.

I believe visiting Africa to see where Obama is from or to take photos of lions, tigers, elephants, and other wildlife is great. Many of these animals are fighting for survival. There is no need to be going to Africa to kill them for sport.

[stander]

Whats up with the American medical men who kill for entertainment?

I thought they valued life!

Not these 2 sadists. It seems that they are businessmen first. Making money is their primary goal. It may come as a shock but dentists have one of the highest suicide rates by profession, and it is not unusual to have physicians who are perverts, or pedophiles or murderers. It happens. These two just get their jollies killing animals and watching the animals die slow painful deaths. It took Cecil the lion 40 hours until he died.

I'm happy to see trophy hunting brought to light. It is a disgusting sport. It looks like killing "Cecil the lion" was the last straw.

Ok so you do not support big game hunting, that's fine, but as I said in a previous post, if this man killed this lion illegally then he should be charged. He should not lose his job, be hounded until driven into hiding, receive death threats nor should his family be brought into all this. But this is mob rule, trial by social media, and who cares about illegal poaching because the vast majority of people sending death threats, hounding this man and his family couldn't give a toss about that. They didn't before this lion was killed.

He will not lose his job. He will still be able to charge high rates for cosmetic work. This is not mob rule, nor is it trial by social media. This is a case of people being so disgusted and outraged by the cruelty of a dentist who tortured a beloved animal for 40 hours. This dentist and now the gynecologist chose to go to Zimbabwe to take advantage of the poverty. It is hardly sporting to bait and lure an animal from a wild life preserve. It is not responsible hunting to take a head and skin and to leave a carcass behind to rot. No responsible hunter does that.

And please don't tell me the dentist wasn't aware. and can't be blamed. He had both a legal and a moral obligation to be aware. The guides and the hunter with him were acting as the dentist's agents. They were hired by the dentist and under the instruction of the dentist.

Your moral outrage is dead at the outset, because these 2 slime balls went to a pariah state, a state under sanction from the USA because of Zimbabwe's horrible human rights abuses. If these 2 sadists had any morals they would not have been doing business in Zimbabwe.

Because of their wealth and their use of a pariah nation , these two sociopaths thought they were untouchable. Well, society has found out what they did, and they are discovering that their inflated sense of worth isn't worth squat once the great unwashed find out what went on. The people who are most outraged are their peers. Many very wealthy people have spent a fortune protecting habitat and the declining numbers of African animals. There are responsible hunters, who hunt for food. Do you know what responsible hunters do to idiots who just shoot and leave a mess behind? They tear a piece off the idiots.

The dentist deserves what he is getting. He is evil, irresponsible, cruel and pure filth. He is not a proper hunter and broke the cardinal rule of not wasting a kill. In a country where the people are starving, he just left Cecil's carcass to rot. Let him be afraid. Let him worry. Maybe he'll understand what he did was wrong and won't do it again.

I have no moral outrage, what I dislike is the “moral outrage” that lifts animals up above humans on the moral plane and the fact that with social media anyone who participates in activities disliked by the mob can find their entire lives destroyed.

[geriatrickid]

I have no moral outrage, what I dislike is the “moral outrage” that lifts animals up above humans on the moral plane and the fact that with social media anyone who participates in activities disliked by the mob can find their entire lives destroyed.

Sometimes that "mob" is right and when the "mob" acts, it makes a positive difference. In this case, the outrage is justified because of the wrongful act. Had people not spoken forcefully, the wrongful acts would have gone unnoticed. The public display of anger may encourage others not to behave stupidly.

There is no justification for the killer did, particularly the wasteful killing. He broke the cardinal rule of hunting and cannot claim to be a hunter. No responsible hunter supports what occurred. In this case, the "mob" has it right.

In regard to your interpretation that animals have been lifted above humans on the moral plane, who are you to decide which animal occupies a moral plane and which does not? Humans are animals too. Intellectually challenged humans have a lower intelligence than some animals, but your logic argues that these humans occupy a higher plane than animals. What of Down's syndrome humanoids? Technically, the different genetic makeup renders such people as "non human" because they are not like other humans. You cannot rely on religion to bolster your argument because all religions call for the respect of animal life. The fact that humans are hypocrites and don't do it, is beside the point. We have a duty to be good shepherds of the earth. Senseless slaughter of animals is a betrayal of that duty.

[TimmyT]

those fat cats, American doctors, are eager to find the most exotic entertainment for there money, notwithstanding the law breaking, wild nature damage and anything else.

they kill people by overwhelming medical prices in US (because of medical corporate conspiracy and lobbying) and kill animals abroad.

That man should be arrested in Zimbabwe and left rotting in the local prison. A big contrast with a luxury Pittsburgh mansion, I guess