The tragic killing of Zimbabwe's famous lion, Cecil brought rage coming from animal rights organizations, conservationists and celebrities. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group and TV host Jimmy Kimmel expressed their anger with the killer, Walter Palmer, an American dentist and trophy hunter who said he "had no idea" Cecil was a tourist attraction in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park.
Palmer admitted he was responsible for killing the lion in his statement saying he "had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt." He added that he "relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt."
"Let's say we accept at face value that he thought it was legal and properly handled and didn't know the lion had a tracking collar, was a local favorite -- the big question is why are you shooting a lion in the first place?" Kimmel ranted on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live.
"I mean, I'm honestly curious to know why a human being would feel compelled to do that. How is that fun? Is it that difficult for you to get an erection that you need to kill things?"
Huffington Post reports animal rights organization, PETA stated Palmer should be brutally punished.
"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."
After bribing the guides for $50,000, Palmer reportedly lured the lion by tying a dead animal to a vehicle to get out of the park vicinity. He then shot the lion with a crossbow at a location that would not make his hunt illegal.
Cecil didn't die quickly so Palmer's team tracked him down for the next 40 hours and shot him with a rifle. The dead animal was beheaded and skinned.
