‘A coward and a killer’: Protesters target US dentist’s surgery after he admits paying $55,000 to kill Cecil – Africa’s most famous lion – as supermodels lead international outrage
- Dr Walter J Palmer, a dentist from Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, killed the famed lion on July 1 in Zimbabwe
- It’s believed Cecil the Lion, 13, was lured out of the national park and wounded by an arrow before he was tracked, shot dead with a gun, skinned and beheaded as a hunting trophy
- Palmer admits he was responsible but said he was unaware it was protected and said he ‘regrets’ the killing
- Cara Delevingne and Candice Swanepoel blasted the dentist, calling him a ‘poor excuse of a human being’
- Stuffed animal memorial placed outside Palmer’s office and protesters showed up at his house as ‘dentist hunters’
Death threats have been sent to the American dentist who killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe earlier this month amid growing anger over the protected animal’s slaughter. Tributes to the butchered lion have poured in thousands of miles away at Dr Walter Palmer’s office in Bloomington, Minnesota, where protesters dressed as ‘dentist hunters’ also threw stuffed lions at his house.
Celebrities including models Cara Delevingne and Candice Swanepoel have also blasted the dentist, calling him a ‘poor excuse of a human being’.
Palmer claims he had trusted his local guides to meet legal guidelines on his trip to Africa, during which he shot Cecil with a crossbow on July 1 before skinning and beheading him.
The hunter’s office and practice website have become a target for animal rights activists disgusted by the dentist’s actions, which have resulted in Zimbabwe authorities demanding to speak with him about the poaching on Tuesday.
One of the strongest denunciations came from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which said on its Twitter account that Palmer should hang for killing Cecil.
‘If, as reported, this dentist & guides lured #CeciltheLion out of the park with food so as to shoot him on private property because shooting #CeciltheLion in the park would have been illegal, he needs to be extradited, charged, &, preferably, hanged.’
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Outpouring of grief: A memorial to the famous lion at a Zimbabwe national park who was shot by American dentist Walter Palmer has been set up outside his office in Bloomington, Minnesota, along with a sign calling the hunter a killer
This is the last known photograph of Cecil the lion (bottom) taken by Brent Stapelkamp before he was killed by the American dentist. Cecil is pictured with Jericho, a male lion who it is feared could kill the cubs of the pride fathered by Cecil
Stuffed lions were placed at Palmer’s house and protesters dressed as ‘dentist hunters’ while armed with squirt guns outside his office
Criticism: British supermodel Cara Delevinge weighed in on the issue, branding Dr Walter Palmer ‘a poor excuse for a human being’
Furious Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel posted pictures of Cecil and wrote on Instagram: ‘How dare you #walterpalmer !!!!’
Ricky Gervais has revealed his disgust at the killing of Cecil, by tweeting: ‘I’m struggling to imagine anything more beautiful than this’
One woman said that Palmer’s patients ‘should reconsider their dentist’
PETA continued: ‘Hunting is a coward’s pastime. To get a thrill at the cost of life this man gunned down loved ‘w/ a high-powered weapon’.
‘All wild animals are beloved by their own, but to hunters like this overblown, over-privileged little man, they’re merely targets.
‘The photograph of this dentist, smiling over the corpse of another animal, will disgust every caring soul in the world’.
The hunter allegedly paid $55,000 (£35,000) for a big game permit on the trip, and said that he did not know that the 13-year-old lion was protected.
However, since his role in Cecil’s death has been uncovered, animal lovers have laid siege to Dr Palmer’s website, posting incredibly negative and abusive reviews.
Some reviews on Yelp, which have been regularly deleted, have suggested violence towards Palmer and his business.
Outrage at Palmer’s actions seethed through the internet, and British supermodel Cara Delevinge tweeted: ‘This #WalterPalmer is a poor excuse of a human being!’
Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel wrote on Instagram: ‘How dare you #walterpalmer !!!! As a South African and as a human being I can’t express how deeply saddened I am by this, what pleasure do you get out of doing such a thing!
‘Seeing these animals alive in their natural habitat is such a blessing, you have to be so sick to want to kill such a majestic creature of God.
‘You come to Africa with your dollars and euros thinking you can buy power by taking advantage of Africa’s poverty and paying people to help you kill an innocent creature.
‘Disgusting! I hope you get what you deserve #walterpalmer.’
Ricky Gervais also tweeted: ‘RIP #CecilTheLion. I’m struggling to imagine anything more beautiful than this.’
In an emotional appeal, American television host Jimmy Kimmel asked viewers to donate to the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit – those responsible for collaring and tracking Cecil.
Stuffed animals including lions were placed outside of his office, along with a sign that said ‘You are a coward and a killer!’
‘I think they should reconsider their dentist.’ one woman told My Fox Minneapolis of Palmer’s patients. ‘There are plenty of other dentists in the community who are animal advocates and good people.’
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