Two men were due to appear in a Zimbabwean court on poaching charges on Wednesday after a wealthy US dentist killed a beloved lion at a national park, sparking waves of criticism around the world.

Cecil the lion, a popular attraction among international visitors to Hwange National Park, was lured outside the reserve's boundaries by bait and killed earlier this month.

The hunter was identified as Walter James Palmer, an experienced trophy hunter from Minnesota, who paid $50,000 for the hunt.