Need to Know - #CecilTheLion

News broke this week that a favourite lion in Zimbabwe had been killed by an American hunter under questionable circumstances.

Death of a King

Cecil, a 13 year old male lion, was a favourite at the Hwange National Park and famous for his black-fringed mane but also part of a study at Oxford University where he wore a GPS tracking device to monitor his activities since 2008.

The hunt reportedly began when Cecil was lured out of the Hwange National Park onto another farmers property by a carcass strapped to a truck. Once on the new property the hunt began with dentist Walter Palmer, who paid $50 000 to the organizer of the hunt, shooting Cecil with a bow and arrow wounded him. After fleeing Cecil was discovered 40 hours later where he was killed with a rifle and was skinned and beheaded on the spot leaving the remains behind including an attempt to destroy the tracking device once it was discovered.

World Wide Response

The response from the world has been massive with widespread condemnation for dentist Walter Palmer resulting in his dental practice shutting it's doors as people lay tributes outside for Cecil and some attacking Walter Palmer's dental practice by leaving negative reviews on Yelp. Many celebrities have also voiced their disgust on social media along with organizations calling for everything from deportation to criminal charges.

Since the death of Cecil and International condemnation two men who organized and took part in the hunt were arrested and face charges for not having the right permits along with calls from Zimbabwe for the US to extradite dentist Walter Palmer. After going into hiding and possibly even on the run, it has been revealed that Walter Palmer is being investigated in the States by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Walter Palmer has responded claiming ignorance saying he thought all the rules had been followed and that he regretted the killing of the lion and has since been suspended from an international hunting club.