2nd US Doctor Accused of Illegally Killing Lion in Zimbabwe

A second U.S. doctor is accused by Zimbabwe officials of illegally killing a lion.

Zimbabwe's National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority accused Jan Casimir Seski of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, of shooting the lion with a bow and arrow in April near Hwange National Park, without approval, on land where it was not allowed, according to The Associated Press.

Zimbabwe National Parks spokeswoman Caroline Washaya Moyo told the AP that Seski provided his name and other identifying information for a government database when he came for the hunt.

Landowner Headman Sibanda was arrested and is assisting police, the agency said.

Seski is a gynecological oncologist who directs the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He's also an active big-game hunter, according to safari outfitters and bow-hunting sites where kill shots identify "Dr. Jan Seski" as the man standing next to slain animals including elephants, a hippo, an ostrich and antelopes such as an impala, a kudu and a nyala.

Seski could not be reached for comment, but the Zimbabwean safari operator accused of facilitating an illegal lion hunt for an American citizen in April denies the bow and arrow kill was unlawful and says his client acted in "good faith."

Sibanda, the landowner, said today in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that his client Seski didn't break any law during his Zimbabwean hunt.

Sibanda says the relevant paperwork was in place for Seski's hunt.

News of the accusations against Seski come days after Minnesota dentist Dr. Walter Palmer was accused of illegally killing Zimbabwe's most famous lion, Cecil. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials are conducting their own investigation into Cecil's death, and the agency confirmed that Palmer's representatives voluntarily reached out to them.

Zimbabwe has suspended bow and arrow hunting, as well as the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants near Hwange National Park, an area popular with tourists.

Cecil's death has intensified the call for an outright ban of big-game hunting, with tens of thousands signing a petition calling on the United States and Europe to ban hunters from bringing home trophy kills.

Big-game hunting is a big sport for Americans; U.S. citizens book more African hunting expeditions than anyone else and, according to a 2011 report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, account for 64 percent of all lion trophies.

Animal expert Jack Hanna, appearing Sunday on ABC News' "This Week," said the world's lion population has been declining.

"I think every good hunter would agree that something has to happen here," Hanna said of Palmer. "The doctor himself must know something has to happen here, because that's not what good hunters do, by any means."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.