Cecil the lion's killer Walter Palmer 'wanted to hunt a giant elephant guide reveals

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Guide Theo Bronkhurst faces criminal charges for his role in the death
Big cat was shot and killed by 55-year-old American dentist in Zimbabwe
Claims he was asked to find a 'large elephant' after the shooting of Cecil
Says he was 'devastated' when he realised the lion was protected

Published: 22:45 EST, 30 July 2015 | Updated: 19:11 EST, 31 July 2015

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The US dentist who killed Cecil the lion wanted to hunt a 'very large elephant' after shooting the protected animal, the guide who led the trip has claimed.

Theo Bronkhorst faces criminal charges in Zimbabwe for his role in the famed big cat's death, which has sparked a furious public reaction.

Walter Palmer, who allegedly paid £31,900 ($50,000) to track and shoot the animal, has said he was unaware the lion was protected and had relied on his local guide to ensure the hunt was legal.

Mr Bronkhorst said the expedition 'went wrong from the beginning' because they were late setting off and had not intended to hunt on the land where Cecil was shot.

Guide Theo Bronkhorst, left, has claimed that Dr Walter Palmer, right, wanted to kill a 'very large elephant' after shooting dead Cecil

Palmer (left), a lifelong big game hunter, has admitted killing Cecil (not pictured) with a bow and arrow on July 1 near Zimbabwe's Hwange national park, but said he had hired professional local guides and believed it was legal

Cecil the Lion seen with his cubs and the rest of his pride

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he said he realised Cecil was protected only after the lion's death. He then hid its collar before taking its head and skin for Mr Palmer's 'trophy'.

He later reported the killing to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

He said: 'I was devastated. I could not have seen the collar at night. We would never shoot a collared animal. I was devastated, and so was the client, we were both upset, and I panicked and took it off and put it in a tree. I should have taken it to Parks, I admit that.

'So we did what had be done. We took the head and skin, as the client had paid for the trophy. I went to Parks and reported what had happened. I wish I had taken the collar.

'We then went back to my place near Hwange. The client asked if we would find him an elephant larger than 63 pounds (the weight of one tusk) which is a very large elephant, but I told him I would not be able to find one so big, so the client left the next day and went to Bulawayo for the night and then flew out midday the following day.'

In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, Givemore Muvhiringi said that his client, Mr. Bronkhorst would not have killed Cecil if he knew he was collared as he was aware of his fame.

'Only after (the hunt) did they realize it was a collared lion,' said Mr. Muvhiringi.

According to Mr. Muvhiringi, Dr. Palmer was unaware Cecil was collared and never would have carried out the hunt if they had been.

Mr Palmer, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, shot the lion with a bow and arrow at around 10pm after it had been lured by bait, Mr Bronkhorst said, adding it was not until 9am the next day that the hunters finally tracked down and killed the animal.

Cecil's skin and head were to be sent to taxidermist before being exported to the US for mounting but he had been advised to hand it in to authorities instead, the guide said.

US wildlife officials have confirmed they are investigating the circumstances of the lion's death.

Mr Bronkhorst could face up to 15 years in prison, according to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association.

Meanwhile, Palmer - who once bragged her he could skewer a playing card from 100 yards with his compound bow - has been in hiding ever since being unmasked as Cecil's killer.

He has not been seen at his five-bedroom home and his dental surgery in Minneapolis, U.S, has remained closed amid an outpouring of anger from animal rights activists, conservationists and lion-loving celebrities.

Zimbabwean hunter charged over killing of Cecil the lion

The killing of Cecil, one Zimbabwe's most famous lions, has caused global outrage

Despite causing outrage round the world, the trophy killing of Cecil appears to have passed many locals by, with one south African minister asking 'what lion?' when questioned over the incident.

Prisca Mupfumira, acting information minister for Zimbabwe, seemed to be unaware of the animals' death despite the news topping bulletins around the world.

Local residents also seemed rather unfazed by the killing, with Tryphina Kaseke - a used-clothes dealer on the streets of Harare – claiming: 'What is so special about this one?'

He added: 'Are you saying that all this noise is about a dead lion? Lions are killed all the time in this country.'

'We lost an icon': Safari official on Cecil's death