The Kiwis on the hunt for lion killer dentist

Paisely and Piper Hoppe outside the detal practice of Walter Palmer. Photo / Supplied

A Kiwi mum and her two children living in Minnesota have staged a peaceful protest against the man who hunted and killed Zimbabwe's beloved lion Cecil.

Hayley Hoppe, originally from Auckland, along with her two children Piper, 10, and Paisley, 9, went to Walter Palmer's dental surgery office in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The office has been shut since his identity was revealed yesterday but protesters have flocked there, as world outrage about the killing grows.

Armed with posters reading, "Dr Palmer why did you kill Cecil?", the children stood for two hours overnight as a peaceful protest.

Piper said she was upset about Cecil's death.

"I felt disgusted and mad at Dr Palmer to kill an animal like that," she told NZME News Service from the United States.

"I wanted to give a voice to animals who can't speak for themselves."

Mrs Hoppe said she was proud of her two daughters and they spoke to reporters crowding the dentist's office.

"We get the girls involved in current affairs and when I told them about Cecil being killed, they weren't happy," she told NZME.

"We weren't doing it about Palmer, we were doing it for Cecil."
She said she had always been an "advocate" and wanted to teach her children to stand up for what is right.

"As Kiwis we are scrappers."

Palmer, left, poses with another lion he killed. His has boasted his weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. Photo / Supplied

Dr Palmer has issued a letter of apology to his patients for any inconvenience.

Explaining that he was a "life long hunter" who refrained from talking about his passion because he is aware of the deep emotions it stirs, Dr Palmer said that he was sorry his dental practice had closed.

He expressed regret that he specifically killed Cecil because he was unaware of the lions protected status.

He thanked his patients for support and hoped that the disruption would end sooner rather than later.

Stuffed animals adorn the doorstep of Dr Palmer's dental practice. Photo / AP

Artist Mark Balma paints a mural of Cecil as part of a silent protest outside Dr Palmer's office. Photo / AP

The protests come as news emerged that Dr Palmer paid out US$127,500 in 2009 to settle a sexual harassment claim.

The settlement was made to a former employee at practice who alleged that Dr Palmer subjected her to "ongoing and unwelcome sexual harassment by, but not limited to, verbal comments and physical conduct involving her breasts, buttocks and genitalia".

The woman alleged that Dr Palmer, who has gone into hiding since he slaughtered Cecil the lion, was asked to stop his behavior, but continued. Her complaint also alleges she also lost her job because she reported his alleged untoward conduct.

According to the claim filed with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, the employee worked for Dr Palmer from 1999 to January 2005 and also had dental procedures performed on her by the married father of two.

Dr Palmer said that he settled financially to "conclude the matter quickly and efficiently" and it did not amount to any admission of wrongdoing.

The Minnesota Board of Dentistry in reply ruled that the complaint was officially dismissed and Dr Palmer was required to complete a course in ethics.

The two professional guides that Palmer hired to help him and hunt and a kill a lion after paying a $55,000 permit fee have appeared in court in Zimbabwe charged with poaching.

Professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu allegedly assisted Dr Palmer, who has since received death threats, catch and kill the lion.

Dr Palmer claims he had trusted his local guides to meet legal guidelines on his trip to Africa, during which he shot Cecil with a crossbow on July 1 before skinning and beheading him.

The two Zimbabwean men appeared at Hwange magistrates' court, about 435 miles west of the capital Harare, to face poaching charges today.