If I was Walter Palmer I would be pretty determined to keep a low profile, that whole ‘most hated man on earth’ title not yet forgiven and forgotten.
Not that he would listen, having sat down yesterday for his first full interview in the wake of the Cecil the lion shooting that galvanised outraged social media users around the world.

So what did the dentist have to say for himself? Let’s hand over to the Guardian:

Palmer said again that he believes he acted legally and that he was stunned to find out his hunting party had killed one of Zimbabwe’s treasured animals.

“If I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study obviously I wouldn’t have taken it,” Palmer said. “Nobody in our hunting party knew before or after the name of this lion”…

He described himself as “heartbroken” for causing disruptions for staff at his clinic, which was shuttered for weeks until reopening in late August without him. The ordeal had been especially hard on his wife and adult daughter, who both felt threatened.

“I don’t understand that level of humanity to come after people not involved at all,” Palmer said.

As for himself, he feels safe enough to return to work – “My staff and my patients support me and they want me back” – but declined to say where he has spent the past six weeks or describe security steps he has taken.

“I’ve been out of the public eye. That doesn’t mean I’m in hiding,” Palmer said. “I’ve been among people, family and friends. Location is really not that important.”

Palmer was not keen on talking about how much he forked out for the hunt, insisting the interview took place with no photos or video recordings. When pressed on whether he might return to Zimbabwe to hunt again he gave something of a vague answer:

“I don’t know about the future.” He estimated he had been there four times and said, “Zimbabwe has been a wonderful country for me to hunt in, and I have always followed the laws.”

You have to feel like someone should have a word in his ear and tell him to give anywhere in southern Africa a wide berth. Seriously mate, stick to gunning down bears in your own backyard before you make your way down this side of the world.

[source:guardian]