Walter Palmer's House

Walter Palmer is a Bloomington, MN based dentist who made worldwide news in late July 2015 when it was revealed that he paid a reported $55,000 to illegally hunt a lion named Cecil, one of the most famous wild lions in Zimbabwe. While Dr. Palmer had a valid big game hunting license, the license does not grant permission to hunt any animal desired by the permit holder. Why Palmer chose this lion remains a mystery unsolved.

Cecil was tragically slain 2015 and was best known as a lion who lived in the Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. He was a major attraction of the park and was being studied and tracked by a research team of the University of Oxford as part of a long-term study of lion behavior.

On that fateful night 1 July 2015, Cecil was wounded with an arrow by Walter Palmer which was a strange choice of weapon. Palmer, is best known as an American dentist and recreational big-game hunter. An expert hunter, Palmer was able to track Cecil and ultimately brought the beast down with a bow and arrow the following morning… estimated between 10 and 12 hours later. Cecil was 13 years old when he was murdered. Palmer was able to avoid being charged with any crime thanks to his permit, and authorities in Zimbabwe have said he is still free to visit the country as a tourist, but not as a hunter.

The killing resulted in international media attention, causing outrage among animal conservationists and online doxxing campaigns. Palmer drew criticism from politicians and celebrities. Making matters worse only five months after the killing of Cecil, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added lions in India and West and Central Africa to the endangered species list, making it more difficult for United States citizens to legally kill lions. Thanks to the backlash, rionically, Palmers vicious killing would be a net positive for animal rights.