I don't understand what the Minnesota dentist, Walter James Palmer, gained from killing, beheading and skinning Cecil the lion. What a useless investment of $50,000 (that's allegedly about how much this guy paid to kill Cecil). 

CNN reported that the dentist and his guides—a professional hunter and a land owner, both residents of Zimbabwe— lured Cecil out of the Hwange National Park with a dead animal on top of a vehicle to then shoot him on private land. First, Palmer shot Cecil with a crossbow and 40 hours later shot him with a gun.

(Palmer says he was relying on the guides to ensure a "legal kill." Here's a good recap of it all by CNN.)

Palmer's two guides were recently released from jail on a $1,000 bond each, and could reportedly face 10 years in prison. According to CNN, Zimbabwe officials want to speak with Palmer, and he has said that he'll cooperate with any investigation. "Although, he said in his statement that he had yet to be contacted by officials in the U.S. or Zimbabwe," the write up says.

Well, the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals thinks extradition and execution are viable punishment options.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk issued this statement:

Hunting is a coward’s pastime. If, as has been reported, this dentist and his guides lured Cecil out of the park with food so as to shoot him on private property, because shooting him in the park would have been illegal, he needs to be extradited, charged, and, preferably, hanged.

To get a thrill at the cost of a life, this man gunned down a beloved lion, Cecil with a high-powered weapon. All wild animals are beloved by their own mates and infants, but to hunters like this overblown, over-privileged little man, who lack empathy, understanding, and respect for living creatures, they are merely targets to kill, decapitate, and hang up on a wall as a trophy. The photograph of this dentist, smiling over the corpse of another animal, who, like Cecil, wanted only to be left in peace, will disgust every caring soul in the world.

Yes, this guy is a dick and a reminder of greedy, ignorant tourists who go to foreign countries expecting to eff things up, disrespect what's sacred, and expect to pay their way out of any trouble. But PETA just took this conversation into the depths of the dark side (and reaffirmed PETA critics on the thought that they are a bunch of nut jobs) suggesting to hang the dude. I think extradition (after all, he killed an animal that was living in sanctuary) and a nice stay in a Zimbabwe prison should teach Palmer a lesson or two. Unfortunately, it'd be unsurprising to hear that, aside from public shame, he won't suffer any other repercussions.