Lion-Killing Dentist Apologizes For Death Of Cecil As Yelp Yanks Negative Reviews Of His Business
The lion-killing American dentist who has now admitted responsibility for the death of the iconic African lion known in his home country of Zimbabwe as “Cecil,” apologized on Tuesday afternoon for hunting and killing the 13-year-old big cat, who was beloved by visitors to Hwange National Park for his friendliness to humans and willingness to be photographed — as well as for his striking and unusual black mane.
But 55-year-old father of two Walter Palmer of Eden Prarie, Minnesota, stopped short of saying that he wouldn’t do it again, blaming his guides to whom he paid a reported $55,000 for telling him that the July 1 hunt was legal, and calling the hunting of wild animals “an activity I love.”
At the same time, Palmer received a boost from the online consumer site Yelp, which was in the process Tuesday of removing thousands of negative reviews of Palmer’s Bloomington, Minnesota dental practice, River Bluff Dental.
The reviews were posted by outraged internet users who took to various forms of social media to vent their anger at Palmer — who shot Cecil with a bow and arrow after his guides lured the lion from the protected confines of the park, onto a neighboring farm where the killing of lions is legal.
Think it’s safe to say that dentist Walter Palmer of lion killing “fame” is the most hated man in the world right now. Good stuff.
— Pamela Paterson (@Pamelatte14) July 28, 2015
Let us hope that Walter Palmer,who “bravely” killed a magnificent lion in Zimbabwe with a compound bow and arrows,meets a similar fate soon. — Steve Proud (@Proudie_Arsenal) July 28, 2015
#WalterPalmer needs to spend $50,000 on therapy to figure out why killing #animals makes him feel more like a man. #CecilTheLion
— KissFromChloe (@KissFromChloe) July 28, 2015
The guides used a dead animal dragged from inside the park to the farm to “bait” Cecil. Once Cecil was outside the park’s limits, Palmer shot him. The dentist then stalked the wounded and suffering lion for nearly two days before he or one of his guides — who have both been arrested in Zimbabwe — finally kiled Cecil with a rifle, skinning the lion and cutting off his head.
Because Cecil was tricked into leaving the park, Zimbabwe officials say, he was killed illegally and Palmer is now wanted in that country on poaching charges. Palmer’s statement said that he would cooperate with Zimbabwe authorities, though whether that cooperation would extend to returning to Zimbabwe where he could face charges was unclear.
“I hired several professional guides, and they secured all proper permits,” said Palmer in Tuesday’s statement “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.
“I 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. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”
He went on to say, “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.”
A Yelp spokesperson explained the scrubbing of negative comments from the page of the lion-killing dentist, saying that “media-fueled reviews typically violate our content guidelines.”
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