On Tuesday, July 28th, The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force released a statement that said that Walter Palmer, a dentist from Eden Prairie, Minn., was responsible for killing Cecil the lion, one of Zimbabwe’s most beloved lions.
#WalterJamesPalmer was the man who killed #CecilTheLion. This was an #illegalhunt. #VisitZimbabwe #263Chat #wildlife #illegalhunting
— #VisitZimbabwe (@tourismzimbabwe) July 28, 2015
According to Zimbabwe authorities and the conservation task force, Palmer paid between $50,000-$55,000 to track and kill the 13-year-old animal, and most popular attraction at the Hwange National Park. Palmer, who is a skilled archer, used that money to get a professional hunter, Theo Bronkhorst, to lure Cecil out of the national park at night to shoot him with a bow. Palmer shot the animal, however the shot only wounded him. They tracked Cecil, found him 40 hours later, and fatally shot him with a gun.
Palmer then skinned and beheaded the beloved animal, and attempted to destroy the GPS collar that Cecil was fitted with, which was used by the Oxford University research program.
Not only did Palmer’s illegal hunt, which is currently under criminal investigation, kill one of the country’s most beloved animals, but Cecil’s 24 cubs will now most likely be killed by another male lion who will insert his own bloodline into the females.
In the time following the release of information regarding Cecil’s death, Palmer has received backlash from animal lovers around the world. The backlash has even been so strong that his dental practice website has been shut down and office has been closed, as people have gathered to protest.
#CecilTheLion protests gaining strength in numbers outside Walt Palmer dental office. pic.twitter.com/yHn5JeumDE
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) July 29, 2015
Even celebrities like Candice Swanepoel, Ricky Gervais, and Jimmy Kimmel have come out bashing Palmer’s actions.
It's not for food. It's not the shooting, or tin cans would do. It must just be the thrill of killing. Mental. http://t.co/0fjtXoC1ML
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 28, 2015
Are you saddened by the news of Cecil the lion’s death? Share with us in the comments.
[Featured image credit: Brent Stapelkamp]