Zimbabwe Officials Accuse Second American Of Lion Killing Amid Uproar Over Cecil's Death

An American other than Dr. Walter Palmer of Minnesota allegedly killed a lion in Zimbabwe several months ago: Wildlife authorities in the southern African nation named Jan Casmir Sieski of Pennsylvania as a suspect in an illegal lion hunt, CBS News reported Sunday.

Zimbabwean officials also said in a statement that a second person had been arrested in connection with the illegal killing of Cecil, a lion slain with a rifle after being hit an arrow fired by Palmer. News of the dentist's hunt and kill has sparked outrage across the U.S. and around the world.

Zimbabwean authorities are urging the U.S. to extradite Palmer, who has gone into hiding since news of Cecil's killing first broke.

Police in Zimbabwea arrested Headman Sibanda, a landowner, "for breaching hunting regulations in that he hunted without a quota and permit at his Railway Farm 31 and is also the owner of Nyala Safaris which conducted the hunt," the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said in a statement cited by CBS.

Government officials said Sibanda is helping police in their investigation into Cecil's death. Meanwhile, Palmer, 55, said he relied on his professional guides to ensure that hunting the lion was legal.

The recreational game hunter reportedly paid in June more than $55,000 to kill the big cat, which was allegedly first lured outside a sanctuary in Hwange National Park, then wounded with an arrow and finally slain with a rifle. Cecil was a popular attraction among visitors at the park, the largest game reserve in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe authorities said Sieski was involved in an illegal hunt outside the same national park in April.

Also Sunday, Zimbabwean officials dismissed a report that Cecil's companion, a male lion named Jericho, was shot to death. Reports floated Saturday that poachers killed the second feline as he was protecting Cecil's cubs.

The parks agency released a photograph of Jericho that it said was taken Sunday morning, CBS reported.