[adinserter block=”3″]Cecil the Lion gained popularity due to his affection and friendliness to humans, which coupled well with his impressive size and black mane.
The Minnesota dentist, who has only been accused as the alleged killer of the lion, was first outed by a British newspaper and reports indicate that his website, as well as practice, have been closed after this story spread throughout social media.
Palmer purportedly operates River Bluffs Dental, which is located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Sources say Palmer paid over $55,000 ‘to bribe’ wildlife guards — on July 1st, to lure the lion out of its protected habitat and into an area where it could be hunted down and decapitated. Officials say the lion was shot with an arrow and suffered for hours before falling to death, and then having its head cut off for sport.
According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, Palmer tied a dead animal to a vehicle to lure the famous cat from the park. The technique, known as baiting, is seen by some hunters as a perfectly viable tactic to lure animals into areas where they can be shot for sport.
After shooting the magnificent animal, reports indicate Palmer and his colleagues found it suffering the next day and killed it. They cut the lion’s head off and removed its skin, then left its carcass to rot under the sweltering African sun.
Social media backlash has been severe, as thousands of online postings on Facebook and Twitter have grown exponentially within several hours of first report of this incident. Numerous sources indicate negative Yelp reviews were being directed at the Palmer’s dental practice. Public sentiment is being fueled by images that seem to show Cecil the lion in various stages of distress and suffering, including death and mutilation at the hands of hunters.